In recent years, puzzles have become increasingly popular among our compatriots. They are bright colorful pictures, divided into many small details that need to be put together.
Such entertainment can not be called simple, but it is certainly very exciting. The principle of collecting puzzles is within the power of even small children to understand. However, adults are happy to spend time doing this. In this regard, the production of jigsaw puzzles may well become a successful business idea. About what is needed to bring it to life, we propose to talk further.
Description and history of the creation of puzzles
The word “puzzle” can be translated from English as “puzzle”. The principle is this: you need to collect a general picture, for which you need to understand where the disparate parts are located, which then need to be arranged in the correct order.
The ancestor of modern puzzles is the invention of a London engraver named John Spilsbury, who lived in the 18th century and was engaged in the manufacture of geographical maps. He came up with the idea of cutting the map into several parts to increase the desire of students to study geography.
No sooner said than done. In 1760, John Spilsbury produced a black and white engraving, consisting of several parts, depicting all known continents, with the exception of the poorly studied Antarctica and Australia.
At first, there was exclusively the production of wooden puzzles, parts of which were not interconnected, as in modern puzzles. In this regard, such entertainment was quite expensive. In the 1920s, the production of cardboard puzzles began. And the first company to release interconnecting puzzle pieces was Park Brothers from the United States. Since then, the popularity of jigsaw puzzles around the world has begun to grow year by year.
Types of puzzles
Today, there are a large number of varieties of this puzzle: cardboard, plastic, holographic, three-dimensional, wooden, fluorescent, photo puzzles. They also differ in the size of the finished picture: from a tiny one, consisting of 8-10 parts, to a huge image that includes several hundred elements.
Puzzle business
Despite the fact that the retail price of such a mosaic is relatively low, its production can be very profitable. Today, the domestic market is quite widely represented high-quality products of world leaders in the production of puzzles, such as Educa, Clementoni, Ravensburger and others, but there is an opportunity to novice entrepreneurs in this niche.
Similar mosaics can be used as an effective and inexpensive promotional products. Such souvenir sets can act as corporate gifts or prizes in a variety of raffles.
Puzzle Production
The process of making mosaics is not very complicated. Therefore, if you wish, you can easily delve into its details and subtleties.
Jigsaw Puzzle Equipment Printing paper is used from paper, which allows to ensure high circulations of products.
We offer to consider how the production of mosaic from cardboard occurs. The technology for manufacturing puzzles of this type is not difficult and includes three main stages.
- Creation by a designer of a drawing or processing of a photograph that will subsequently be applied to the base.
- Print the image on thick cardboard.
- Cutting parts using special equipment.
For production, you will need to buy a printer, a computer, a thermal transfer press and a mosaic cutting machine. You will also need to purchase cardboard for puzzles, which should be strong enough.
What pictures to place on puzzles
As a rule, large mosaic manufacturers regularly conduct research on what kind of pictures potential buyers would like to see on puzzles. Traditionally, the most popular images of popular cartoon characters, as well as landscapes, animals, photographs of various famous attractions and paintings in fantasy style. Since the authors of the images sell licenses for their work, lay in the preliminary estimate for opening a business additional funds for their acquisition.
Jigsaw Puzzle Room
If you are not planning a large business, then you will not need a large room. It is enough that it contains all the necessary equipment, as well as a place for storage of finished products. Large-scale production will require spacious workshops, storage facilities, as well as design bureaus, whose specialists will be involved in the development of new puzzle technologies.
Sales of finished products
Puzzles are usually sold through large retail chains. If your company is small, then you can work directly with retail stores, end consumers (if you make puzzles on order) and advertising agencies.
Puzzle business: financial side
If you plan to start a small business for the manufacture of mosaics of this kind, then you will have to invest about 1-1.5 million rubles in it. A large proportion of the costs will be required to purchase the necessary equipment. If you are thinking about a larger production of puzzles, then, accordingly, the costs will be many times higher.
Be that as it may, with the right approach to doing business, investments should pay off within 1-3 years from the start of active work. The profit from the sale of puzzles is about 200%, which makes this business highly profitable and profitable.
Specialization is the key to success
According to experts in this case, before starting the production of puzzles, it is necessary to choose a certain specialization of the business, which will help to develop it in the conditions of the rather high competitive activity.
Good examples include the history of the American firm Dave Tibbets and Steve Richardson, who were engaged in the production of exclusive handmade wood products.
Despite the fact that the price of their goods was quite high, thanks to its quality and uniqueness, it quickly began to be in great demand.
In general, the manufacture of plywood or wood puzzles has a number of advantages: their parts are very convenient to pick up, there are no problems with finding the components, and besides, they are strong and durable. These puzzles are ideal for children.
If you choose a specialization in the production of puzzles from wood, then you will need to purchase not printing equipment, but woodworking machines. The room for the manufacture of this type of product should include, in addition to the production workshop, a place for painting parts, assembly and packaging of finished products and a warehouse.
Taking into account the experience of enterprises specializing in the production of wooden puzzles, we can conclude that to start such a business will require investments in the amount of 600-800 thousand rubles. These funds will be used to purchase woodworking machines, raw materials, rent suitable premises, issue certificates, as well as to pay for the work of artists, technologists and designers.
