Accessories are auxiliary products used in the manufacture of furniture.
Without these elements, it is difficult to imagine any objects.
At the moment, the production of furniture accessories is absent at most enterprises in this industry, which is not surprising, because with the apparent simplicity of these parts we are talking about a very laborious process.
In addition, there are thousands of items of finished products. At all, this segment many do not see the market as attractive, but this is actually not the case. Sometimes the cost of accessories used in the manufacture of cabinet furniture is 35-40 percent of the whole item, and this is very significant.
Market situation
At the moment, the production of furniture hardware in Russia is completely undeveloped, and a large number of elements are imported. In the lower price segment, you can see mainly products coming from Asian countries - it is quite difficult to compete with them, and in the highest and average European manufacturers, therefore, when deciding to organize your own business, you should focus on this particular part of the market.
Primary requirements
Usually, the production of furniture fittings is carried out in factories with a large number of employees. The staff of the smallest enterprises numbers from fifty people, that is, such a business requires considerable investments. If we talk about the equipment necessary for the work, then these are various machines - milling, turning, drilling and others.
It turns out that for each workplace there is one device. Of course, you can create a tiny enterprise that will produce furniture fittings. However, it will be very difficult for very small firms in such a business. This is due to the fact that usually large furniture factories, which you should primarily focus on, prefer to purchase most of the assortment in one place.
In general, the minimum investment is estimated at 8-9 million rubles, while one can talk about the profitability of the business at 30%, and the business is considered to be very risky. In practice, it is worth focusing on the assortment, consisting of 400-500 items.
What are the fittings for?
Through these products, a fixed and movable connection of furniture parts is provided, as well as the interaction of objects with a person and housing. There are many types of them, and if you comply with industry standards, then more than 110.
This includes fastening and front hardware, a variety of hinges, shelf holders, ties, latches, handles, all kinds of decorative elements, rotary and wheel supports, transformation mechanisms, metal and plastic containers, mirrors, dishwashers, as well as other items that relate to furniture component parts.
The manufacture of furniture fittings is carried out from various materials: from plastic, wood, metal and their combinations. The surfaces of the products can be polished, painted, sometimes even with powder paints, metallized by vacuum spraying, electroplating and other technologies.
The Importance of Hardware
Using this structural element involves all stages of design and manufacture of furniture.If the accessories are chosen competently, then this has a positive impact on the architectural and artistic solution of products, the organization of the technological process, the durability and strength of the finished product, ease of use.
And if good elements are unable to save poorly designed furniture, then correctly selected ones can bring the product to a new design, and therefore, price level. The importance of accessories and its share in the structure of the cost price of finished products is confirmed, where it takes from 10-12 to 40 percent.
A bit of history
Until the beginning of the eighties, the need for structural elements was almost completely satisfied by domestic products. Then the production of furniture fittings was carried out at 700 factories of all departments and ministries available at that time in the union.
The industry management paid great attention to the development of this particular segment. Constantly allocated funds for development work, as well as for the classification, standardization and development of industry standards.
Despite the fact that the enterprises constantly carried out work related to the improvement of both the product itself and the technology of its manufacture, nevertheless, domestic goods were inferior to analogues from the West in many respects. This, usually, was explained by the fact that in the conditions of furniture shortages, organizations developed a certain conservatism, which was expressed in the absence of any desire on their part to use new, more advanced products.
One can also note the fact that many of the enterprises in this industry have not managed to accumulate any experience in mass production, because they had only 8-12 years of activity in this area. This despite the fact that the leading manufacturers of Italy and Germany had experience already in 40-50 years.
It is worth noting that the production of furniture hardware is currently gaining momentum, as the demand for it has significantly increased in the Russian market. This is associated with an increase in the well-being of the population and an increase in housing construction. To create your own manufacturing enterprise, you must go through a number of stages.
Niche Selection
All enterprises engaged in the manufacture of furniture fittings are usually divided into three groups: small, medium and large. It is worth considering the first two. Small enterprises, where the number of employees is up to 400, are focused on the production of products that will be retail, small wholesale and work with individual orders.
Medium-sized enterprises typically employ up to 1,000 workers. They work closely with furniture companies, and only small consignments of fittings are usually sent for sale. When the scope of the future business will be determined, as well as its specialization, it is necessary to proceed to the next stage.
Introduction to the production process
The technology of furniture production suggests that the hardware is first designed on a computer. The first thing that is done is a sketch of the future product. After the details have been agreed with the customer, a drawing is being developed, which will be transferred to the workshop to carry out the current order. The production of furniture hardware is completed in the workshop using special equipment.
What investments will be required
To create a full-fledged enterprise, quite a lot will be required. To begin with, this should be a production building, warehouses for storage of products ready for sale, as well as equipment.
The following machines are needed for the production of furniture fittings: milling, thread rolling, bending, drilling and turning. Initially, you will need to invest not only in all of this, but also in the purchase of raw materials for the first batch of products.
When choosing machines for the activities of your factory, you should focus on quality products of domestic or foreign production.It is worth noting that it is better to purchase new devices, but you can start your activity with the use of used equipment. In this case, you can save a little at the start, but then, when you reach a certain level of development, you still need to buy new devices.
Learning to overcome difficulties
This type of business is characterized by average risk indicators. But here certain difficulties may await you, for example, a refusal to rent, equipment failure, interruptions in the supply of raw materials. However, there is always a solution. To begin with, it is important to understand that you need to have a sufficient supply of raw materials in stock. Be sure to look for reliable landlords, and the equipment is worth buying imported, as it breaks down much less often.
We establish sales
Furniture fittings can be implemented through several channels. The first are resellers, and the second are furniture manufacturers. Your company should work not only with large circulation, but also with individual orders.
It’s clear that you need advertising. For example, you are manufacturing plastic fittings, then it is important for you to position yourself in the market in a certain way in order to attract potential customers. For advertising, you should use all available means, including local publications and the Internet, where you can make yourself known to the whole world.
As you understand, it is up to you to decide what types of furniture accessories you will produce, but it is worth focusing on the needs of most customers in order to guarantee yourself an influx of customers.
