Today, people have become very sensitive to the issue of registration of their property. And in this regard, every day the demand for various original elements of decor and design is increasing.
The owners of various cottages, townhouses and just homeowners are faced with some problems of individual design. The fact is that most projects of such buildings are created according to a certain template. Therefore, it is very difficult to stand out in any way among other similar buildings.
To help modern homeowners come decorative fences made of concrete. These structures will not only help to enclose your property, but also give the site an individual touch. And since the competition in this case is minimal, then you can earn some money on this. It is the production of fences that we will discuss in this article.
Demand
In fact, manufacturers of forged gratings and similar products are competing heavily. But concrete fences have at least three advantages over the iron structure: strength, lower cost, and ease of operation.
Indeed, forged products must be constantly painted, coated with protective enamel (from rust), and in extreme cases replaced due to various types of deformation.
Concrete decorative fences are more unpretentious in use and more durable in construction. The number of low-rise buildings is constantly increasing (at least in Russia). But, to our great surprise, the number of companies that provide concrete fence construction services remains relatively small.
And those firms that are engaged in this business are working in a direction that is very different from the topic of this article. From all this we can conclude that the market lacks narrowly targeted manufacturers of decorative concrete fences.
Business features
Many people are surprised at one very strange fact, namely, why the production of fences does not attract large enterprises? It is definitely impossible to answer this question. Perhaps the owners of large companies do not see prospects in this business, or the vast majority of companies simply do not like this profile.
In any case, the lack of dominance of individual enterprises is even better. Due to the lack of large companies in this business, clients have to turn to small producers who do all the work manually. And, as you know, the cost of such firms is clearly overstated. In order to establish a rapid rise, it is necessary to produce goods in large quantities, thereby reducing the cost of one unit of output. Of course, one should not forget about the quality of buildings (more on this later).
Individuality and wholesales
One of the most difficult moments in the production of a decorative fence is the combination of mass production and individual features of each product. It is necessary to create the illusion of a personal approach to each client.
It is worth noting that most of them will be middle-class people who are trying to stand out. As you can see, there are enough difficulties in this business, so you need to carefully think through every step you take. Everything that was earlier concerned only general aspects of this business. Now it’s worth talking about production technology and special equipment.
Production
During the production of any product, one of the most important points is the careful preparation of the starting materials. The final product will directly depend on their quality. The next most important factor is the correct selection of the necessary equipment. This list includes molds, molding equipment, vibrating sieve and more. All production of fences can be divided into three main stages, which we will continue to talk about.
First stage
The main components of concrete are cement and sand. It is with these elements that production begins. The first step is the screening of sand and cement. This is done using special equipment called a vibrating sieve. It is equipped with an electric drive, and the materials themselves pass through cells no larger than 5 mm.
All equipment for the production of concrete fences of this type must be present in several copies. A single manufacture (on order) requires no more than 2 such machines. If you are counting on wholesale, then you will need 3-4 (or maybe more) vibration screens. The cost of one such machine depends on the power and the amount of accommodated resources. The average price is $ 500.
Second phase
The second stage of work is mixing the finished mixture of concrete. Manual production of this process is inefficient; therefore, it is necessary to use automated tools. For this work, they use the so-called concrete mixers or, as they are called in other words, concrete mixers.
In the global market for construction equipment, there is a huge selection of different manufacturers of this device. Here we will not discuss all varieties of concrete mixers, but only single out only two large categories: gravitational and forced. The first type of concrete mixers is notable for its low price. The cost ranges from 350 to 2000 dollars. Also, many such devices are portable and do not require industrial voltage to operate.
An exception are the most powerful gravitational devices. Another category of concrete mixers (forced) is much more expensive. Naturally, along with the price, all other characteristics increase: the consumed voltage and performance. Also, most forced mixers are stationary, and in some cases an additional light foundation is required. Non-portable concrete mixers are often equipped with a lift called a skip.
Concrete fence production will accelerate significantly with this addition. Skip allows pouring concrete mixture even at height. The elevator also automates the process of loading materials, which frees up one manpower (otherwise it will take 1 person to carry out this operation). The control system consists of a guide winch and a moving hopper.
Third stage
The production process of fences is completed by pouring the finished mixture into a pre-prepared form. It is at this stage that conventional building materials begin to take on the familiar look.
The concrete fence mold itself should be made without any flaws, including there should be no welds and other types of defects.
If these conditions are not met, then in the end you can get a poor-quality product. This can ruin all the work done earlier. The form for a concrete fence can be of two types: blank and openwork. The price of this equipment is approximately $ 350. When starting a concrete fence business from scratch, molds are almost the most expensive element.
Imagine how many types of this equipment you will need to buy to increase the variety of finished tiles. Medium-sized companies should have at least 50 types of forms in stock, plus each type should be in multiple copies (to speed up the production process).
Business expansion
Every businessman should strive to increase production. In this case, you can offer your customers various additional services. For example, design (which will correspond to the general appearance of the building), installation (and dismantling of old fences).
Further expansion will be up to you. You might want to make your business closer to the middle class by adding various small decorative elements. Or you will serve large companies, producing only unique concrete decorative fences. In any case, the scale of your business is up to you.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is worth mentioning the search for employees. It is necessary to approach this business with some imagination. In addition to the workers who will make the fences themselves, you need to find a creative designer. In the process of business development, you may need to additionally purchase (or make yourself) various decorative elements: borders, fountains, urns, flower boxes. The production of concrete fences is one of those areas of business that can turn into a gold mine with the right approach.
