Christopher Probst
Well-known member
Anyone know what became of Optex that did a lot of conversions and rehousings? No real information online abou the company... Any UK folks here with some knowledge?
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What ever happened to Optex?
- Thread starter Christopher Probst
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BRANDON JAMESON
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HEY CHRIS!
They went under years ago...not much more to say.
They went under years ago...not much more to say.
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Christopher Probst
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Well THAT I gathered... I'm more curious about the people that worked there... They did some fine rehousings back in the day... I wonder where they all ended up... I guess it's not surprising so many rehouse companies are in the UK...
Michael Lindsay
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If my memory serves some of the conversion work was done in by Mike Tappa https://www.mtfservices.com
In particular what where you looking for?...
In particular what where you looking for?...
Alan Piper
Red Team
Ron Collins is happily retired, Geoff Chappell is with Cooke Optics, Robin Thwaites and Kevan Parker are both with Tiffen UK.
Chris Edwards owns Optical Support, a lens and Steadicam specialist hire company in London.
I think they were the main Optex guys as I recall.
Good rehousings here are done by Keith Truslove at True Lens. He's ex Cooke...
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Christopher Probst
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Thanks Alan!
Michael J Brennan
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Not so much "went under" as sold out to the property developers.
Sadley missed.
Mike Brennan
Sadley missed.
Mike Brennan
So according to my research awhile back....
ALL QUOTED
On December 23 2005 broadcast rental company OpTex was placed in administration by receivers Grant Thornton. On Christmas Eve the 43 employees were phoned to be told that the company, which had been in operation for 36 years, had ceased to trade. No further information was available from Grant Thornton at press time.
It was a complete blow to many employees What really annoys me was, as Sue says, the MD was for ever laying the blame for the company's problems at the feet of the rest of the staff.
At one point, during a staff meeting where bits of information was rationed out to the staff, our problems were said to have been caused by the cost of one particular project which the company invested time and money in.
Yes the optex excellence periscope was expensive to produce but the figures stated were not just for R&D but for production too. This project was close to my heart as I did all of the mechanical design, project management, testing, build, etc etc
I worked my ass off for years to produce a lens which is now regarded world wide as the benchmark for this type of lens. (as i write this, one of these has been hired out to work on the latest harry potter movie for around 20 weeks)
Around 25 systems were built and now they are all sold (we're talking around £50,000 each) not to mention the hundreds of thousands earned by the kits in the rental dept.
As it turns out, if there really is an investigation into fraudulent activity by the MD regarding equipment, then this lens will be the centre of attention, I will say no more.
In a letter dated Jan 9th, Visual Impact say "On the 23rd of December Optex Limited were placed into administative receivership, subsequently all of the book debts were assigned to us".
The reason that I'm quoting from this letter is that it was accompanied by a Statement (on Optex headed paper) for payment of several thousand pounds. This was for a transaction that was in fact paid in full to Optex in May of last year.
That Visual Impact are pursuing non-existant debts suggests that all was not well in the Optex accounting department. Maybe the business was actually solvent but accounting errors sent it under.
Owner or MD seemed to blame the employees and one particular project:
The optex Excellence Borescope/Periscope System.
Fantastic Products, amazing technicians, optex excellence = the best
Sorry for the demise of the company for us a cinematographers and their technicians and staff.
They shut their doors, and it seems that Visual Impact bought their existing inventory.
ALL QUOTED
On December 23 2005 broadcast rental company OpTex was placed in administration by receivers Grant Thornton. On Christmas Eve the 43 employees were phoned to be told that the company, which had been in operation for 36 years, had ceased to trade. No further information was available from Grant Thornton at press time.
It was a complete blow to many employees What really annoys me was, as Sue says, the MD was for ever laying the blame for the company's problems at the feet of the rest of the staff.
At one point, during a staff meeting where bits of information was rationed out to the staff, our problems were said to have been caused by the cost of one particular project which the company invested time and money in.
Yes the optex excellence periscope was expensive to produce but the figures stated were not just for R&D but for production too. This project was close to my heart as I did all of the mechanical design, project management, testing, build, etc etc
I worked my ass off for years to produce a lens which is now regarded world wide as the benchmark for this type of lens. (as i write this, one of these has been hired out to work on the latest harry potter movie for around 20 weeks)
Around 25 systems were built and now they are all sold (we're talking around £50,000 each) not to mention the hundreds of thousands earned by the kits in the rental dept.
As it turns out, if there really is an investigation into fraudulent activity by the MD regarding equipment, then this lens will be the centre of attention, I will say no more.
In a letter dated Jan 9th, Visual Impact say "On the 23rd of December Optex Limited were placed into administative receivership, subsequently all of the book debts were assigned to us".
The reason that I'm quoting from this letter is that it was accompanied by a Statement (on Optex headed paper) for payment of several thousand pounds. This was for a transaction that was in fact paid in full to Optex in May of last year.
That Visual Impact are pursuing non-existant debts suggests that all was not well in the Optex accounting department. Maybe the business was actually solvent but accounting errors sent it under.
Owner or MD seemed to blame the employees and one particular project:
The optex Excellence Borescope/Periscope System.
Fantastic Products, amazing technicians, optex excellence = the best
Sorry for the demise of the company for us a cinematographers and their technicians and staff.
They shut their doors, and it seems that Visual Impact bought their existing inventory.
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Christopher Probst
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Thanks for that! The plot thickens!
Michael J Brennan
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This was ten years ago, so the plot has set... unless someone has deep enough pockets to fund lawyers and accountants for a decade?
It appeared to be a neater/faster solution to sell all the stock to Visuals than to have an auction.
At the time I recall Visuals were said to be doing well out of the deal, it was a pity all the kit wasn't auctioned off
I wanted to buy an excellence system but they eventually went into Visuals Hire Inventory. Used it alongside a set of Zeiss Digi primes for a two week shoot on a Viper, the excellence was superior!
Mike Brennan