Tag Archives: Factory Tour

Cooke Tour 2020

This was my 4th tour of Cooke Optics in Leicester, England. The factory has come a long way since previous visits in 2006, 2009 and 2013. It is now a state-of-the-art, modern facility with clean rooms, the latest machines, and many more technicians. As Les Zellan described it, “The glass manufacturing area is cleaner and neater and there are many… read more…

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FUJIFILM Factory Tour (PDF)

Here is a 20-page PDF preview of the cover story in April-June FDTimes Issue 81-82. It’s a report on the new Fujinon MK 18-55 T2.9 zoom, the imminent 50-135 T2.9, and a tour of the factory where they are made, along with X-T2 and GFX still cameras. How does FDT manage to get inside various companies’ highly sensitive chambers of secrets? Like set etiquette, there are several important factory-visit commandments, thou-shalt-nots, and don’t-becauses. Thou shalt not trip over anything or break stuff. Don’t slow down the assembly line. Don’t ask dumb questions. Don’t take pictures of things they tell you not to. Submit all photos for review lest you accidentally photograph a particularly proprietary process or part. read more…

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