Mr. Halpern Farewell Photo Album #1

When Mr. Halpern retired in 1981, Gregory von Gruenberg made a photo album for Mr. Halpern.     Annelise von Gruenberg, his wife kept his original photos and a photo album.        Here is the copy of his color prints.     We were all very young then!      Thanks Annelise for sharing.     For copies of positive slides see HERE.

And thank you very much who helped identify those in the pictures Marge McGill in particular, who combed the old Polyworld to find who's who.      There are several we could not identify especially those in production.    If you can identify them please let me know.     Thanks

Ralph Kaset        Freddy on C machine

Amiela Semedo        Rich Cohen

Helene MCoy    Willie Boshardt ?

Seth Cross    Annelise von Gruengerg

Stanley Pupczyk   and ????

Willes Ellis    Roslyn Lagne

Pat Walsh      Gregorio Lopez

Bill Saltzman and ????

Mary Moro      Jim Shelnut

Drupa '95

Drupa 95 was a significant milestone for Polychrome.       The race towards CTP technology domination was going on,  Agfa with their photopolymer plate and DuPont/Howson Algraphy with their Silverlith; both an extension and application of their existing technology.      Our answer was CTX.         We worked closely with Linotype Hell to qualify CTX on their Gutenberg system.      Through the work with them we determined that CTX gave better performance over photopolymer or silver system.     We also worked closely with other major CTP manufactures to qualify CTX on their machines.    At the show we had all three major CTP equipments, Linotype, Gerber and Creo running CTX live.      During the morning technical briefing breakfast session, one speaker suggested to visit Polychrome booth to see all the CTP system.        We also had a prototype of Inkjet Plate Making system IJP 1000.      
Please look for Bob Hallman and Thomas Bittner giving personal briefing at the close of the first day of Drupa to give all the Polychrome staff the benefit of CTX over photopolymer and silver system.
(Not all the Polychrome staff were convinced that CTX was a superior  alternative.)
Later both Bob and Tohmas took their message to major companies  and helped change the image of Polychrome from a scrappy small company to a leading company in the graphic arts world.      The road to new CTP system continued to the development of thermal system later.)

Mr. Halpern as an inventor

I knew Mr. Halpern started his business in mimeograph printing ink.       I did not know him to be an inventor but a search in internet showed he had a patent on a heated stylus  for a heat sensitive master in 1946.          Knowing a bit of stencil technology, this was a revelation.       Many of the readers probably know that in the 70's and 80's there were  electronic stencil master making machines using a heat sensitive master.      I remember Mr. Halpern was interested in getting into the business of making such master at Polychrome but we at R&D failed to find an alternative route to make such master.   So he arranged to buy a master roll from other manufacturer (Litton Industry? who owned a patent?).     If we went back to 1946 there may have been such stencil master composition described already for the public.        On the other hand the stencil business eventually died out in favor of offset and electrostatic copying process so we were not wrong in focusing our efforts on developing offset technology.
So now we know Mr. Halpern was not only a businessman but also was an inventor.     (Yes he always had ideas on many  many things!)

Here is his US Patent  2474312

Merry Christmas Polychrome.... by John North

Merry Christmas Polychrome.

We did some amazing things together.

We took on the giants of the graphic arts world. 

We worked together and produced an ever evolving, improving, product line. 

We delivered it through an extremely dedicated team.

For a few glorious years, we could not beaten. 

I am proud to have payed my part in the development of our products.

The level of cooperation I enjoyed with each of you brought about many personal successes.

Thank you all for the wonderful memories and experiences that I enjoyed at Polycrome.

Sadly, it did not last forever.

I wish we could do it all again.

Best wishes,

John North

Mimi Levy at 90 plus

Mimi was waiting for us smiling when Marge McGill and I visited her recently at her senior living in Rye, New York.          She looked just as I remembered her years ago and told us her Polychrome story...  how she was interviewed by John Randolph and Seth Cross, how she was involved in the Polyworld and after working very hard to choreograph the 1986 Drupa show why she was asked not to go to Drupa. (one of the dancer's husband wanted to go and so she was bumped!)    She enjoyed seeing the pictures from Mr. Halpern's picture book and she was thrilled to watch the 86' Drupa video.      
Surrounded by numerous memorabilia  she collected during her many overseas trips, she is enjoying her retirement days.

Mimi and Marge

Stovac of India

India is considered to become the next economic engine for the world as world is looking to duplicate the success of China.          Polychrome had a very early exposure to the Indian market through licensing of PS technology there.        Technova at that time was the only major PS plate manufacture there under license from Agfa.       Like 2FF licensing, we could have had long term mutually profitable relationship.           But the license term came to an end after the formation of Kodak Polychrome.        

The Stovac of India, in the business of manufacturing  an electroplating system for rotary screen printing rollers and equipments for the textile industry, approached Polychrome in around 1991-92 for a license to build PS plate manufacturing plant in India.      Mr. Baghattis, the principal, indicated that the Indian tariffs are too high to import equipment and would like to build entirely by themselves under our licensing. 
They were in the business of building rotary screen rollers using electroplating technology and familiar with equipment for textile industry.        In 1992 Simon enlisted Mr. Tanimoto of DIC and Durmech of England to assess Stovac capabilities and the site for the PS plant.       During 1992-93 period, Roman Mrzyglocki, Jennifer Lin and Durmech corroborated to come up with a design for Stovac.      Roman continued to support the project supervising construction till completion around 1995.   This was followed up by commissioning / training/ support by Jenchi Huang, and Phil Yamin.
Simon continued to champion for the closer relation with the licensees.     But after the termination (or lapse) of the licensing agreement, the Stovac was acquired by Technova and now Technova appears to own the Indian market.