Organization of upholstered furniture production

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Upholstered furniture production is a great idea for medium-sized businesses. Although the competition in the market is high, with a competent approach to organizing a business, you can earn large sums of money. In order for the production of upholstered furniture to bring a stable profit, you need to prepare permits and purchase equipment. At the first and subsequent stages of the implementation of the idea for the manufacture of furniture, financial investments will be needed.

What kind of upholstered furniture can be produced?

The term “upholstered furniture” is not indicated either in the normative and technical documentation or in the existing standards. This category of furniture includes products with soft elements.

Upholstered furniture is considered to be:

• sofas;
• beds;
• armchairs;
• banquettes;
• chairs upholstered;
• couches;
• benches;
• ottomans.

An entrepreneur can organize the production of one group of goods, but it is more profitable to offer customers different products. A rich assortment of goods is an important component of a successful furniture business.

Technology for the production of upholstered furniture + Video how to do it

Let's look at the entire production process using sofas as an example. The complex technological process consists of several stages. First, you need to make and assemble the main elements of furniture - frames. Then the following stages begin:

• finishing of product frames;
• production of elastic elements;
• use of transformation mechanisms;
• production of metal elements ( staples, springs, wire mesh);
• use of cushioning materials;
• use of upholstery fabrics.

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A large share of the furniture market is occupied by upholstered furniture sales. Sales of sofas and armchairs account for about 15% of the total income of furniture stores. Today it is a profitable direction for opening a new small or medium-sized business. Business as a mini workshop is best suited for the production of upholstered furniture.

Upholstered furniture as a business

Recently, the purchase of upholstered furniture to order according to individual sketches is gaining popularity. This allows small industries to operate profitably with small production volumes. An individual order is not profitable for large factories, or the cost of such an order will be quite high, so a niche for a private manufacturer appears.

Most of the assembly operations in a small production facility are performed manually, which saves on the purchase of expensive and bulky equipment and its subsequent maintenance.

In a small production, it is easier to adapt to new fashion trends and quickly respond to consumer preferences. Changing the model range in mass production is a long and highly costly process, which is why factory upholstered furniture often looks morally outdated. The technical process in small production is flexible, which will allow the use of various materials and a wide range of furniture fabrics.

There is no such term as upholstered furniture in technical regulations and GOSTs. There is a classification that subdivides home furnishings by purpose, such as lying or sitting. These include:

• sofas,
• tahtas ,
• couches ,
• sun loungers ,
• armchairs ,
• chairs,
• banquets.

All of the listed items of furniture are classified by consumers as "soft" although they can be made rigid, therefore there is no such division in the technical documentation.

Upholstered furniture market analysis

Marketing research has revealed that a consumer with normal income prefers to change the sofa group every 3-4 years. Most of the domestic market is occupied by products of the middle price range, elite models occupy only 13%. This imbalance is caused by the fashion for European luxury furniture.

This business plan for the production of upholstered furniture will enable entrepreneurs to create and competently organize the work of a small workshop. The increased demand for high-quality and inexpensive upholstered furniture is one of the main reasons for the emergence of a significant number of new manufacturers on the Russian market, which now account for over 70% of all products sold. And upholstered furniture occupies about 15% of the total furniture market, its production is an attractive niche, especially for small and medium-sized businesses, and does not require significant start-up investments.

General concept of the project

The popularity of upholstered furniture is due to several factors.

First, its manufacture is increasingly focused on "production to order". Small businesses, engaged in the mass production of large batches of cabinet furniture and solid wood products, find it difficult to compete in the market, while the production of small batches of upholstered furniture can provide quite acceptable profitability.

Secondly, in small private workshops that manufacture custom-made upholstered furniture, a significant part of the work is performed manually, which does not require the purchase of high-performance and expensive production and technological equipment.

Thirdly, furniture production at small enterprises is easily and quickly rebuilt to release new products due to changes in consumer tastes and fashion trends.

Fourth, starting a small furniture business is a great experience building a large-scale profitable business in the future.

Fifth, on the Russian market, the niche of custom-made furniture in small towns and rural areas is practically free, so here the prospects for successful work for small furniture workshops are the greatest.

Object description

Our upholstered furniture business plan with calculations is designed to help you set up and run a small workshop that will manufacture custom products. The most productive use of the document is the organization of production in small towns. The enterprise must provide a full technological cycle for the production of upholstered furniture and its sale to consumers.

The main range of products:

• Sofas.
• Banquettes.
• Ottomans.
• Chairs.
• Sun loungers.
• Chairs.

Surprisingly, but in the regulatory and technological documentation there is no definition of "upholstered furniture". The current standards apply concepts such as “seating furniture” and “lying furniture”. Moreover, these products can be made with both soft and hard elements. Therefore, in the conventional sense, upholstered furniture means products in the design of which there are traditional elements of "softness": pillows, springs, various fillers, and so on.

A business like the production of sofas and armchairs will always be very profitable. About where to start, how to open the production of sofas and armchairs, what equipment (prices, brands) is needed, what is the manufacturing technology and how to properly organize this business from scratch - read below in our material.

Business Features

If you are determined to become a manufacturer of quality, inexpensive furniture, but do not know where to start, start drawing up a business plan.

Studying the demand and competition in this area, as well as calculating the expected profit and loss, will set the right direction and build confidence in success.

Market Analysis

For profitable activity, first of all, it is necessary to carefully study the level of competition and demand for goods in the selected region.

Forecasting and research of the furniture market will allow you to choose the optimal place for the production and sale of goods, as well as calculate the expected profit.

The demand for durable goods such as furniture is greatly influenced by the quality of life of citizens and the population of the selected city.

Home furniture, sofas and armchairs will be in demand if the region has low unemployment.

Research of competitors' work should be aimed at identifying weaknesses of competing organizations. This information will also help you when choosing a pricing policy and in finding a place to open a store.

The production of upholstered furniture is a responsible and difficult business. The competition in this area is quite high, but the demand for goods among individuals and organizations is very high. Own business will require care, diligence and patience. It will not be possible to do without the collection of permitting documents, relatively large financial investments. But by making really high-quality furniture, the entrepreneur will be able to provide himself with constant profit.

Relevance of the idea

Business in the production of upholstered furniture is very relevant today. Finished products occupy about 15% of the entire furniture market. The idea of ​​making upholstered furniture is especially interesting for small and medium-sized businesses. The popularity of such entrepreneurship is due to the following reasons:

• Many people now prefer to order furniture rather than buy ready-made ones. Large factories do not do this, but for small entrepreneurs the niche will be very successful and in demand.
• Ability to use manual production. This, in turn, allows you to significantly reduce the start-up costs for starting your own business.
• Flexibility. Small entrepreneurs quickly react to the emergence of new fashion trends, take into account the wishes of their customers. And if for the production of a new model of upholstered furniture in a large factory, rebuilding is required, which will take several months, then in a small manual workshop it will take just a couple of days to change the direction of activity.
• Exclusivity. Due to the use of special materials and accessories, individual models are created, which especially attracts people with high social status and financial status.

List of manufactured goods

The production of upholstered furniture as a business begins with the definition of the range of finished products. In general, regulatory and technical documentation and all existing standards do not use the concept of upholstered furniture. Many of its varieties can be tough. Upholstered furniture has several special elements:

• springs ;
• pillows;
• fillers.

Most often, the list of upholstered furniture includes sofas, armchairs, ottomans, banquets, couches and chairs. An entrepreneur can be engaged in the production of one or several types at once. The more diverse the assortment, the more clients a businessman can attract.

Features of the upholstered furniture market

Most often, wealthy people buy furniture. They prefer to make repairs with the replacement of sofas and armchairs every few years. However, the premium segment occupies no more than 13% of all furniture produced in Russia. And goods of the middle price range account for about 60%. This variation is explained by the fact that when buying expensive furniture items, customers often prefer foreign brands rather than domestic ones. In general, the trends in the furniture market are as follows:

• Continuous production of upholstered furniture is becoming less and less relevant. People prefer to make things to order. This allows you to get an interesting product that has no analogues. It is the creativity of the design that attracts buyers in many ways. Many are even willing to sacrifice the practicality of furniture for its stunning appearance. For example, many people decide to buy a white or silk sofa, knowing the need to take care of it.
• If an entrepreneur wants to succeed in the field of furniture production, then he needs to be prepared for the fact that serious working capital will be required, despite the low price of the necessary equipment. Such spending is needed for the constant purchases of raw materials and materials. It is important to always have a large selection of fabrics, upholstery, fillers in stock. Otherwise, the process of making furniture can be very delayed, which will have a negative impact on demand. And during periods of calm, even larger working capital may be needed.
• Don't just rely on selling finished products through stores. Statistics show that in this way it is possible to sell only about 20-25% of the goods.
• You need to focus on the region in which the production workshop is open. Transportation of furniture will require a serious investment of money and time, which means that the size of the profit will decrease. It is better to lower the price of a product, but sell it in your region, actively promoting your own brand.
• Domestic buyers prefer upholstered furniture with collapsible mechanisms. This is especially true for sofas. The most popular are the "dolphin" and "eurobook" transformer models.

Considering all these features, an entrepreneur will be able to build a reliable and profitable mini-factory for the production of upholstered furniture.

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