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In the single largest transaction since the Illinois Pinball (IPB) purchase of the Williams pinball parts and tooling, Pinball Inc. has agreed to purchase the majority of IPB’s inventory of new and new old stock Capcom, Bally, Williams, and Alvin G. pinball parts inventory. Gene Cunningham, owner of IPB, who is turning 75 this year, is turning his focus to core products of cabinet art, playfields, plastic sets, backglasses, and translights allowing him to slow down from his 80 hour work weeks. The purchase includes the world’s largest pinball parts inventory consisting of new and new old stock Capcom, Williams, Bally, and Alvin G. parts excluding the parts that will be the core of IPB’s business. Going forward, new parts will continue to be made by both IPB as a manufacturer and Pinball Inc. as a supplier.
Pinball Inc. owned by James Loflin, is currently the only manufacturer of plastic replacement ramps for Bally/Williams pinball machines in the world. Loflin started Pinball Inc. as a pinball service, retail, and refurbishment company 20 years ago. Just over 7 years ago Pinball Inc. started the manufacturing of ramps and has supplied the hobby with over 15,000 ramps. Over three years ago Pinball Inc. and IPB joined forces to allow new ramps to be manufactured using the original tooling from Williams. Now, Pinball Inc. looks forward to expanding its manufacturing to include injection molded parts, rubber molded parts, and metal die parts, along with many others utilizing the original tooling and drawings.
IPB has made it’s mark in the pinball hobby over the last decade. The purchase of Williams, Capcom, and Alvin G. assets almost 10 years ago put IPB on the map. The hobby was stunned in 2004 when Cunningham announced he was going to do a one time run of Big Bang Bar pinball machines from his “Pinball Manufacturing” company. In 2007, Cunningham fulfilled his promise and shipped the completed machines worldwide becoming the only pinball manufacturer other than Stern Pinball to produce a full run of pinball games since the turn of the century.
Both companies have stated that they will continue to work together as they have over the past years to bring many new parts that are needed to the pinball hobby and to insure a smooth transition.
....more to come as there is a Aussie dealer involved in this deal in a huge way.
