I just listened to the podcast a couple of days ago, so I’m somewhat behind the curve but I thought that I could maybe offer a point of view regarding this machine being assembled in Italy. I work in an industry that draws some similarities, as many of my vendors are domestic manufacturers/assemblers. But they also source some finished product (as well as subassemblies) from Italy to complement their offering. The level of quality is quite good, and the cost is lower than if the pieces were produced in USA. I’m not familiar with Pedretti but there is an Italian company called Industrias Lorenzo who make joysticks and buttons that are a clone of the Suzo Happ stuff.
I feel that having the machines produced in Italy is a smart move by PB from both a cost and quality standpoint. Really in my opinion the only concern is that they haven’t assembled a complete machine. From the sounds of it they are just a manufacturer of components, so the learning curve may come with the actual assembly of all the components on a line. Given the current market with every manufacturer in the USA backlogged with orders, I think this was the best that a potential buyer could hope for. Labor in Italy is lower in cost and the people in general take pride in their work, and logistics/shipping is readily available. So I think that once the line is up and running, machines should ship with regularity.
That is, until summer holiday rolls around...those folks pretty much shut down the country for 8, 10 or even 12 weeks during the summer.

If PB can see this thing all the way to the finish line, I think they could do well with their first title. Lots of fans of the movies out there, as well as nostalgia of 80s/90s pop culture. So then it becomes a matter of keeping pace with demand, which as we know has been a challenge for even the largest of manufacturers. Hopefully they can ramp up quickly and keep enough people happy to keep things moving along into a second title. I know that many folks were burned in the first generation and it’s tough to let go or have faith. I myself have lost NIB pinball machine levels of money when I put faith in someone to deliver a product to me, so I know what it’s like. It’s the worst feeling to realize that you’ve basically given away money to someone with absolutely zero to show for it. It’s awful.