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LudoFact USA dropped off the map?

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baudot
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I've been trying to reach LudoFact USA about printing my game for the past couple weeks and can't get either a return call or eMail. Neither Sean now Juan are answering their phones or eMail. Anyone else having issues reaching them or know what's going on?

baudot
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Follow-up: LudoFact Germany

Follow-up: LudoFact Germany responded within the hour when I finally wrote directly to them.

sedjtroll
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Does there exist Ludo Fact

Does there exist Ludo Fact USA? That would be cool...

Markus Hagenauer
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USA distribution

They seem to have something like an US distribution. http://www.ludofact.de/cms/front_content.php?idcat=52

But as a German I only had direct contact with LudoFact, and the always answered quick.

Dralius
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Ludofact USA

sedjtroll wrote:
Does there exist Ludo Fact USA? That would be cool...

The US offices are in Michigan. They handle the orders from US customers. What we need is a Ludofact printing facility in the states.

baudot
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Juan of Ludofact USA did

Juan of Ludofact USA did eventually get back to me, weeks later, citing a crashed computer. I never did hear back from Sean, the other LudoFact USA representative. By that time I'd opened direct communications with LudoFact Germany.

sedjtroll
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Dralius wrote:What we need is

Dralius wrote:
What we need is a Ludofact printing facility in the states.

Word!

Ludo Fact
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Yes, we would like to

Hi guys, I just joined to be able to get in touch with you directly. My name is Frank Jaeger and I work for Ludo Fact in Germany. First, I would like to stop a few rumors before they spread:
- Ludo Fact USA has been created for legal reasons a while ago, and still exists.
- Juan Mendez works for us, but not as a full time employee.

Now, to make you all understand what we are doing in the US, I think I have to elaborate a bit. A few years ago we decided to investigate opportunities for us in the US, not excluding a potential US manufacturing. We have been talking to many people, set up the company and tried to get a feel for the market. We were so far that we actually announced that we wanted to start manufacturing in the US in 2011. Instead of doing that, we are actually pulling accounting and most customer care back to Germany. Does that mean we gave up? No, it does not. Not at all.

We are still pursuing the idea of setting up a manufacturing in the US. Generally, we need a 7 digit number of games to produce per year to make a new factory worthwhile - the number preferably not starting with a 1. We decided to start with box manufacturing and assembly only, doing everything else in Germany and saving about $1 per large game in shipping alone. Of course, we'd get more orders if we had it up and running, while we want to have a certain security by knowing we get the orders. Catch 22, I know. But we were set to get this started until - yes, until in October last year we acquired a printing company called Walcher And Rees (http://www.walcher-playingcards.de/). Incorporating this company which we bought because the opportunity was too good to miss and we were relying on them for playing cards a lot anyway, this process takes up all the manpower of the very people that would have to do the same with a US manufacturng facility, too.

So that is the story. Yes, we want to start something in the US (no surprise, I guess, the exchange rate has made our sales difficult), but right now we do not have the resources to do it. If anybody needs assistance in any way, you are back with Germany for the time being. Not for ever. But for now.

Whoever is in Essen at SPIEL 2011, please come by our booth in hall 10, booth 38, and see me for a chat (and a beer ;-) ). And if you cannot come, maybe you can help fund these guys (http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1602645836/video-coverage-of-essen-i...), because they want to make a video of our facilities here in Germany so everybody can get a first hand look at what we are doind, and how we do it.

Cheers
Frank Jaeger
Export department
Ludo Fact GmbH

NativeTexan
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THank you

Thanks so much for the clarifications Frank!

Kyle Gabhart
Driftwood Games
www.driftwoodgames.com

jwarrend
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As a new publisher, I want to

As a new publisher, I want to voice my considerable interest in seeing Ludo Fact set up shop in the US. My impression is that there simply aren't manufacturers here in the US that can produce games to German quality standards, and this necessitates ordering from overseas. The problem this seems to create is the unpredictability of overseas shipping, and this is a big problem for a small company: with only one, or a few, releases, a company needs to generate "buzz" about its games, but unduly long shipping times, shipping delays, delays in customs, etc, can all lead to negative buzz and missed opportunities -- eg product doesn't arrive in time to attend an important convention, people expecting their games in time for Christmas don't receive them until January, etc. Having an available manufacturer here in the US would be tremendously beneficial, and I hope that you will continue to consider this possibility. If possible, could you continue to update this thread periodically as news emerges?

Ludo Fact
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Updates

Sure, I will try. But that will not be in the near future. But in the mean time come see me at the meeting points of the industry: Spiel 2011 in Essen, Nürnberg Toy Fair, New York Toy Fair, Gen Con. Maybe Gama Trade Show. I'd be happy to talk about it anytime.

As for shipping, there is a very simple solution to that: When you think about designing a game and releasing it, just start four weeks earlier than you usually would. That is the allowance for shipping ;-)

wishingtreegames
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Joined: 01/06/2011
quote forms

Hi Frank,

Do you have quote forms available via email? I'd love to be able to fill in an estimate form and send it each time I look for a quote rather than typing excessively long emails trying to describe the printing and material specs that I am looking for.

Thanks,

Brent

Ludo Fact
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Quote forms

Sorry for my late reply - it is still kind of crazy here, and I was out sick.

There are no quote forms. Every game is so different that it makes no sense. And technical babble like
"carton made from MGK 800 g/sm" or "GD 600g/sm" won't mean anything to anybody except us, so we decided to keep it the old fashioned way: you email us your list of components, we email back with questions, suggestions and solutions and once we have hammered out the best specs, we quote.

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