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Author Topic: Schneider downsizes Greg Mueller Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1687 From: Port Gamble, WA Registered: Jun 99 posted 10-29-2001 02:00 PM                        If you're considering a repair to your Schneider lens you may want to wait a week or two to let the dust settle at Schneider. Apparently they have downsized and no longer are doing repairs in Hauppauge NY. Instead all their repairs are being shipped to California to be repaired there. I was caught in the middle of this situation after sending my anamorphic (red label) to Schneider for repairs which were to take "a couple of days". They received the lens on the 23rd and were to send a fax with quote etc. I called several times during that week as I never heard from them. I called this morning (the 29th) and was told that the guy that I had been talking to (who actually did the repairs) was no longer with Schneider and that everything that was in for repair, was shipped to California. I was given anoher number and called them. They could find no record of my lens, name etc. etc. I called Schneider back and was told that it had been sent out to CA on the 26th and was in transit. Hopefully they will find it. I guess the repair guy was not let in on the downsizing until his last day? In my conversations with him about the lens he seemed like a pretty nice personable guy and I'd be surprised if I were to learn that he knew of this situation and still had me send in the lens all the way from Washington State to NY, just so it could be turned around and sent back to California. I guess I'll just have to see how all this plays out, and hopefully they will find my anamorphic and all will end well. Just the same you might want to wait a couple of weeks, so they can get their system settled out before letting go of your lens. ------------------ Greg Mueller Amateur Astronomer, Machinist, Filmnut http://www.muellersatomics.com/  |  IP: Logged Richard Fowler Film God Posts: 2392 From: Ft. Lauderdale, FL, USA Registered: Jun 2001 posted 10-29-2001 04:19 PM                     Schneider downsizing is not really true....most of the lenses sent for repair to N.Y. where mostly prepped and sent to the factory in Germany for actual repair....Schneider last year bought Century Precision Optical in California, a maker of optical goods for the film and video production industry which has a very well equipped service and machine shop. Schneider is using their resources as best they can and for a dealer ( such as myself ) it is helpful that I can place an order via N.Y. or California, based on the time received, for a rush lens item. Service should untimately more rapid since sending it to the factory routine sometimes ran to more than a month wait time. Richard Fowler TVP-Theatre & Video Products Inc. www.tvpmiami.com  |  IP: Logged Greg Mueller Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1687 From: Port Gamble, WA Registered: Jun 99 posted 10-29-2001 05:21 PM                        Well, "downsized" are the exact words they used when I talked to customer relations dept. Really, I'm not making this up. ------------------ Greg Mueller Amateur Astronomer, Machinist, Filmnut http://www.muellersatomics.com/  |  IP: Logged John Walsh Film God Posts: 2490 From: Connecticut, USA, Earth, Milky Way Registered: Oct 1999 posted 10-29-2001 05:43 PM                     I don't know about the downsizing part, but we also had sent in a lens for repair, with no response for a awhile. Then we received a letter saying that the repair whould take a while longer because the repair center was moved. Maybe repairs used to go to Germany, but now go to Century Precision, who already have their own staff. Perhaps Schneider only laid-off the US guy who prepped lenses for shipment.  |  IP: Logged Greg Mueller Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1687 From: Port Gamble, WA Registered: Jun 99 posted 10-30-2001 09:23 AM                        A few days back when someone commented about Film Tech being a little slow I mentioned that Schneider's page was broke and had been for a week or so. It's now working again with the "Service" page displaying a message that says.... Ship equipment prepaid and insured to: Century Preciscion Optics 11049 Magnolia Blvd. North Hollywood, CA 91601 Attn: Service Department http://www.schneideroptics.com/repair/service.htm ------------------ Greg Mueller Amateur Astronomer, Machinist, Filmnut http://www.muellersatomics.com/  |  IP: Logged Greg Mueller Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1687 From: Port Gamble, WA Registered: Jun 99 posted 11-01-2001 06:51 PM                        Well that was quick... Kudos to Schneider for getting the change over (in whatever form it was) changed over and things back on track again. My lens was found, fixed and shipped in record time. I have always felt that a true mark of quality in a business, big or small, is the way in which problems are handled and solved, especially the solved part. Schneider is one of the good guys in my book, for their problem handling skills. Yay Schneider ------------------ Greg Mueller Amateur Astronomer, Machinist, Filmnut http://www.muellersatomics.com/  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 11-03-2001 04:48 PM                     Greg, Actually the Cinema division of Schneider is only a tiny speck of the Schneider empire. The US govt. contracts alone are about 10 times the amount of cinema sales yearly. Many expensive lenses are used in testing explosives using high speed cameras...needless to say these are one use lenses! Not to mention the regular camera,enlarging lenses,filters, and optical port glass. Schneiders view camera lenses are regarded as some of the finest in the world. I suspect that you simply got caught up in the shifting of locations for repair services. This is something that Isco does not offer in the U.S. Mark @ GTS  |  IP: Logged Richard Fowler Film God Posts: 2392 From: Ft. Lauderdale, FL, USA Registered: Jun 2001 posted 11-04-2001 05:37 AM                     Dwight Lindsley, who is the head of operations for Schneider for North and South America, talked to me at ShowEast. After the tragedy of September 11 their sales to camera stores ( filters, accessories, lenses ) experienced a major decline......due to this they did some reevaluating of their personel and resources. The plan to integrate Century Optical to handle some of the cinema chores had already been in progress.....They did let a a very few people go, but they tended to be obvious cases where their was duplication of duties or not meeting Scheider's standards of quality. Dwight did see these posts and has contacted Brad off line since they was a delay in signing up plus the convention week business. My partner John and I toured the plant in Germany this summer and it is truely impressive with the combination of automated and hand assembled details....and the team of Dwight, Bruno, and the staff is one of the most reliable and stable in this business. Richard Fowler TVP-Theatre & Video Products Inc. www.tvpmiami.com  |  IP: Logged John Pytlak Film God Posts: 9987 From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922 Registered: Jan 2000 posted 11-05-2001 02:15 PM                        I let Dwight Lindsey know about Greg's concern as soon as it was posted, and he said he would take care of it (and evidently did!). ------------------ John P. Pytlak, Senior Technical Specialist Worldwide Technical Services, Entertainment Imaging Research Labs, Building 69, Room 7525A Rochester, New York, 14650-1922 USA Tel: 716-477-5325 Cell: 716-781-4036 Fax: 716-722-7243 E-Mail: john.pytlak@kodak.com Web site: http://www.kodak.com/go/motion  |  IP: Logged

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