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New Heighway Owner

ronnie63 said:
"I am by no means a fan of pinball"

Hmmm! strange why you would join a pinball group?
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Because I worked for a pinball manufacturer and have followed them with interest. I've enjoyed playing pinball, I just meant I am not a fan at the level of everybody else here. No offence intended. :)

I also wanted to give my 2 pence on the current Heighway Pinball situation hoping to give people some encouraging thoughts.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro
 
Well like he (or could be she) says, he's taken an interest in the company's progress since working there, and following this forum and this thread is very much part of that.

I guess he joined just to be able to comment on the thread.

Edit:

Oh! I replied too slow!
 
Not sure how anyone can think at this stage anything will improve - we can hope but threats of price increases don't inspire me!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Sgt GrizZ said:
Not a threat. It's happening. Haven't they changed already on the website?
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Doesn't look any different to me, price still showing £5650 for the standard.

Price rises is no real surprise though, all the manufacturers are doing it.
 
Here's the issue...it's not just about getting Alien out, it's about making HP profitable and sustainable. Heighway Pinball has been in business now for almost 5 years! And have shipped in that 5 year period less than 200 games. Think about that for a minute. How many games has Stern shipping in 5 years? How many has JJP? How many has Spooky?

Andrew Heighway's vision was to compete with Stern. His operation needed to AT LEAST be on the same level as JJP. So these new guys come in an write checks to vendors. They refund people. They hire new workers. Even if they fix all of Andy's issues, the chances of them having a profitable pinball company on their hands is slim to none. Does anyone really think a Heighway machine is as nice as a JJP machine? And with the BOM being where it is now, Heighway needs to charge 8-9K per machine just to make a grand a machine.

Wouldn't it be much easier to START OVER and create a pinball company the right way? Vs trying to salvage Andrew's terrible business decisions? Even the swappable playfield idea was horrible and has proven time and time again NOT TO WORK. And people like STANDARD body games more than wide body.....but Andrew's swappable vision now forces EVERY Heighway game to be a wide body. Again...idiotic move that was not based on any market research. Alien would be 2x better if it were a standard body.
 
Kaneda said:
Even if they fix all of Andy's issues, the chances of them having a profitable pinball company on their hands is slim to none.
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Bullsh1t mate. Several minted business owners think it is viable and are putting their money behind it, you seem to just want them to fail. They know far more inside info than you so why spout your whimsical negativity all over it. They have an amazing licence that once production is in full flow the past will be forgotten and sales will rocket. Don't buy one if you don't like it. Simple. Now p1ss off.
 
I kind of agree on the widebody and swappable playfields points.

Swappable sounds good until you think about it
Consider an op with say just space for one pin ... buys one pin for 6k, and then a kit for 4k..... They are now 10k in and still have only 1 pin running/earning at a time. You would be better just selling the first and buying another to site. And if you have multiple sites then you don't need swappable playfields cos you swap entire games around.

It may sound appealing to home owners but really you are spending thousands on a piece of kit that still takes up considerable space and then is unused for long periods. I just don't see the attraction :-/ How many of us have games tombstoned and can't be bothered to swap them in/out of the lineup ? People by default are quite lazy :)

And this is before you start considering compatability of past games as time goes on. Isn't that gonna constantly be a worry. We have already seen how Alien requires new board to run in FT, you can't just drop it in and go.

I'd say forget the whole kit idea myself going forward.
 
I think swappable playfields are a good idea IF everyone has them, then you can trade them easier. You can stick them in your car boot for transport. But the computer needs to be guaranteed for at least a a handful of titles. My machines are in a basement, getting them out is a PITA. Even if they never get swapped, the easy removal is attractive to me because it means you can move the machine in pieces easily, which is handy if you're being helped by the missus. Even better if the back box pops off also. It shouldn't be that hard to design it like that, so I see it as a free feature for the manufacturer to add.
 
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I agree with @Sgt GrizZ. I think swapping playfields is a sh*t idea and always have. Would an operator really keep a playfield in storage and stick it back in 2 years down the line when people want new titles?
 
Tucks said:
I agree with @Sgt GrizZ. I think swapping playfields is a sh*t idea and always have. Would an operator really keep a playfield in storage and stick it back in 2 years down the line when people want new titles?
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when Andy and I talked about setting up a pinball company in 2005, we talked about the swappabe playfields. The idea being Return On Investment (ROI). This is aimed at the operator who, having the bare bones already, would buy the new kit thus refreshing his site. As time goes on and multiple full games are bought, the first would be kept as a kit as a back up. Any problem on site you could temporarily drop back in your spare and keep the site running, same with cleaning and refurb.
the idea of a home user having more than one and swapping to save space was a secondary use.
 
My mate had just ordered an Alien (via Austrian distributor) plus an FT playfield only. I guess someone thought it was a good idea!
 
As an operator, just giving my opinion. I'm not sure what the 'first' kit would be a back to? My ROI would be increased if I had each full game and sold one after say 18 months, ie buy £6k, sell £4k net cost over 18 months = £2k. New machine £6k therefore total outlay over 18 months = £8k with one machine up and running.

As opposed to buy £6k, new kit £4k, total outlay £10k and still only one machine up and running. £2k to have a spare in a box? not worth it.

Maybe I'm missing something here and maths is not my strongest point but to me the numbers just don't stack up.
 
Tucks said:
As an operator, just giving my opinion. I'm not sure what the 'first' kit would be a back to? My ROI would be increased if I had each full game and sold one after say 18 months, ie buy £6k, sell £4k net cost over 18 months = £2k. New machine £6k therefore total outlay over 18 months = £8k with one machine up and running.

As opposed to buy £6k, new kit £4k, total outlay £10k and still only one machine up and running. £2k to have a spare in a box? not worth it.

Maybe I'm missing something here and maths is not my strongest point but to me the numbers just don't stack up.
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I tend to agree, can't imagine many operators bought into this.

Targeting the operator market was a mistake anyway at the stage they were at, reliability and availability are big issues for ops. The high costs of trade shows was a waste of money (£4k for a stand at EAG?), most ops will only buy machines when they are ready to ship and proven to be reliable, it was obvious at the shows that neither was the case.
 
however stripped down it looks , SW will tick operator boxes. lower price than anyone else , proven reliability , not much to go wrong , top theme , looks and sounds will attract casual players. most ops I know are still clinging on to their STrek as it ticks these boxes!
 
cooldan said:
Whatever happens, I hope the other manufacturers look at Heighway's ability to lift the glass off rather than slide it out, as it reduces the required footprint by about 2 feet and allows more games in a smaller space. I always thought he undersold that benefit.
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It also requires a back brace and and Almost Olympic weight lifting ability ;)
But yep it's an awesome idea
 
On Andrew Heighways' personal pinball page.


Andrew Heighway
16 hrs ·
Just over five years have passed since I started Heighway Pinball Limited in my home garage. Now, the company has grown to be a multinational business with customers spread throughout the globe.

The company has faced many challenges along the way, which has culminated in our first game, Full Throttle, and our current game, Alien Pinball. I always strived to create a modern and relevant quality pinball product, with many exciting new ideas. I believe that we have fulfilled many of the goals I set for this company.

I am extremely proud of the games that we have produced. In particular, Alien Pinball is the result of tireless work, over the last three years, from a team comprising of some of the most talented and passionate pinball people I could have ever have hoped to assemble. ‘Alien’ is personally my favourite movie of all time, closely followed by ‘Aliens’. I could not be happier with the finished product and how it represents both movies.

The time has come for a change at Heighway Pinball. Substantial monies are being pumped immediately into this company by our existing investors to drive this company forward to producing hundreds of games every month within the coming months. These investors have not been actively involved in the running of the business up to this point but they bring a huge amount of pinball experience to the operating of this company. They are also very successful businessmen in their own rights. Their passion for pinball, business acumen and love of the company’s products will drive this company forwards. There are a lot of expectant customers out there who want delivery of this epic game as quickly as possible – and this is a commitment this company will now strive to deliver as soon as is possible.

As of now, I have now left Heighway Pinball and am no longer involved in any way with the company. A new management structure is already in place at the company, that is committed to delivering games to all of its customers and building the company up into becoming an important market player within the coming years. The company is being left in good hands, with the investors bringing a wealth of pinball experience into this company and everyone is committed to delivering customer games as quickly as possible.

I have not left pinball permanently – but am taking a break away from it as fresh finances and ideas drive the company forwards. I will likely still be seen at pinball/trade shows and look forward to meeting many of you again in the future.

I will no longer be contactable at andrew@heighwaypinball.com and I will not be posting here, any other pinball forums, on Facebook or on Twitter as ‘Heighway Pinball’ from now onwards.

I have met some amazing people over the last five years and would like to thank all of my customers, staff, contractors, investors, distributers and suppliers - who have shared my dream and supported myself and this company over the years. I step away from Heighway Pinball at an exciting time for the company and wish all those associated with the company all of the best for the future.

Andrew Heighway
Former CEO/Managing Director – Heighway Pinball
 
I feel sorry for the investors. They have committed to invest in a going concern which has taken money on games and used this money to design, develop, and set up the manufacturing of those games - and, of course, to pay the workers. Now the investors come in and have to effectively have the pre-ordered machines built - and shipped - for free. This will certainly be a significant investment and is surely one, which they will have taken into account. But now, for every customer who wants their money back, there is an additional cost over and above this pre-calculated "investment". This is where it starts getting *really* expensive.

I wish them well and hope their pockets are deep enough to support the whole team and manufacturing process as long as necessary to thereby ensure that Alien becomes a success.

Cheers!

Goz
 
Eyes wide open - if they didn't think that was going to be an issue they were/are fairly nieve - suspect they did know that - best answer is to get high quality controlled games shipping and let people see them shipping in volume and that in turn will drive re-orders and new orders.

Neil
 
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J.C.Rox said:
For every 1 keen bloke with deep pockets who decided to recall their naive pre-order there will be 10 + off the shelf buyers when production is sorted. I'll be one if them.
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when production and quality is sorted I'll be one also.
 
Just as a heads up, i have locked the Heighway pinball account, since as Andrew stated in his last communication, that was the last thing we would be saying on behalf of Heighway pinball, and he is no longer directly linked with them.

I have been contacted by someone purporting to be directly linked to the new management, and if all checks out, he will joining us soon :)
 
If I was a member of the new management/investors - I would be working round the clock stuff out and putting progress reports up on the website.

Still for me - if I was buying a new pinball - it would be a Stern!
Or the easiest job for them to do is close the plant and get Stern to make it for them - like the MMr.
 
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