I think the comment by the plant manager is really a reflection of the fact that it is a fairly old tech manufacturing business, and as the video suggested, lots of variables to keep all that stuff humming optimally. I don't care that he doesn't give a poop about the music, as long as the records are well made. We can leave the creative stuff to the artists, engineers and producers. I do find it fascinating that these old presses can be refurbished and returned to service. As to investment in new presses, I don't know, but imagine the tooling costs would be considerable, and it seems that a lot of people are concerned that once the 'fad' aspect of the vinyl bubble bursts, we'll be back to far lower volume, audiophile stuff, the odd release by a new band, etc. I don't buy many new records, and of the 'mass market' stuff I do buy, whether pressed in the US or EU, I've certainly had issues. (I'm not talking about the fancier pressings of the type you get from Chad or Mo-Fi, and even some of the big labels are using Chad now for some stuff, e.g. if memory serves, the Hendrix Legacy AYE was pressed at QRP).
