WEA Records Pressing Plant, West Drayton

WEA's UK record pressing plant, located in West Drayton. Operating between January 1978 and February 1983.

Identifing WEA pressings by runouts:
The matrix numbers are handwritten and usually at six o'clock. Side denominations can be with or without hyphens. There are other marks too, such as combinations of the letter 'W' and a number. Another number can be found either at three o'clock or at nine o'clock.

Identifiers are:
- WEA / TP or
- W-L, often in combination with F/1 W x or FI W-x or F/1 W-x yD
- W-x
- S-x (or back-to-front' Ƨ)
where x stands for 1 to 3 digit number and y stands for K (KD) or R (RD).

Notes:
a) When there is a 'D' at 12 o'clock and the 7" has a slip ring, the record was pressed by Damont.
b) TP not necessarily stands for Test Pressing and is also found on commercial release pressings

Identifing WEA pressings by pressing rings:
LPs and 12"s normally had a label size of 101 mm.
WEA pressings mostly have a single 32.5 mm diameter ring and flat labels.
Concurrently, WEA also used "dipped" labels: two rings with raised.
Notes:
a) the inner ring can vary between 32 mm and 32.5 mm;
b) the single ring was also used by EMI Hayes and Spartan Wales at the same time;
c) the double rings were also used by CBS Aston Clinton at the same time.

7"s usually had label sizes between 84 and 85 mm, and rings with 32.5 + 45 + 58 mm diameter.
There is no anti-slip ring (contrary to Damont).

Bought in December 1977 from Island Records (previous name: Island Records Manufacturing Ltd).
Operated 15 semi-automatic 7" presses and 16 semi-automatic 12" presses.
The factory had a work force of 120, working on a five-day week shift.
No cassettes were manufactured there.
It had a total annual disk capacity of 7.7 million 7" records and 5.8 million 12-inch disks.

Notice of closure was announced in November 1982, mainly blaming the adverse effect of home taping.
After the close down in February 1983, all pressing activities were transferred to the Record Service pressing plant in Alsdorf, .