Business plan for the production of plastic toys. Review of the Russian market for plastic toys. Shop equipment: equipment for the production of plastic products

The interest of entrepreneurs in such a direction of commercial activity as the production of toys can be explained not only by the conclusions of analysts about the good prospects of this business, but also by the presence of their own small children. But, regardless of the reasons that made you pay attention to this direction of business, for the successful organization and development of your enterprise, it is necessary to study in detail all the nuances of the business, including production technology and advertising events.

In this regard, the presented article is an indispensable assistant, both for experienced small and medium-sized businesses, and for novice entrepreneurs who have firmly decided to please children with beautiful and high-quality toys of their own production. This information will interest not only business representatives (entrepreneurs, investors and bankers), but also theorists of economic disciplines, university students who plan, after receiving a diploma, to organize their own business, as well as young mothers and fathers who want to know how and from what are made toys for their kids.

Toy production - a general plan for organizing your business

Despite the optimistic forecasts of experienced analysts about the production of toys in Russia, you should be guided by the market situation in this segment, which has developed in your region.

This means that the initial stage of this commercial project includes detailed marketing research:

the level of demand for children's toys;

the most popular types of these products;

how many firms are engaged in the production and sale of toys;

are there companies from other regions on the market (what do they offer, what prices they set, etc.);

study of representatives of the target audience (income level, average number of children in a family, what part of the family budget is spent on purchasing toys).

Based on the data obtained, you can plan your future business: draw up an approximate range of products for children, calculate the optimal production volume of toys, make a list of the necessary raw materials and consumables, and also determine what specialists are needed for the company to work effectively. We can say that at this stage your task is to draw up a general "picture" of the future enterprise.

Based on the assortment you have compiled, you need to think about the production technology. A big plus for the organizer of the presented direction of entrepreneurial activity is the presence of work experience in this industry. As a last resort, you will have to hire a specialist who will start performing his duties even before the start of production activities.

He must choose the optimal technology for the manufacture of products for children, find high-quality equipment for the production of toys from different types of raw materials: soft, wooden, plastic, etc., and also help with the selection of personnel.

In addition to purchasing the necessary equipment, you need to find a room in which the production of products for children will be carried out. Be prepared for decent expenses for repair work and meeting the requirements of fire inspectors and representatives of Rospotrebnadzor. Without them, you will not receive all the necessary permits.

One of the most important points is the creation of a real business plan, which should take into account all the costs associated with the organization and development of your commercial project. In the main financial document, it is necessary to record not only one-time costs and monthly production costs, but also the risks that exist even in cases when the most reliable project is planned. Be sure to think about advertising for your company and products, which it is advisable to do even before the production of toys.

If you decide to engage in entrepreneurial activity, but you are not a full-fledged businessman, then you need to register with the tax inspectorate, statistics authorities and relevant funds. Many aspiring businessmen are most afraid of this procedure, but such fears these days are completely unfounded. It will take no more than ten days to complete the documents, while, unlike the situation in the 90s, you will not have to visit many offices in government agencies every day. Registration of both an individual entrepreneur and a legal entity is carried out in one place, quickly and without additional costs.

Selection of priority types of products and technology of their production

In order to cover all segments of the children's toys market, large financial investments are needed.

As a rule, at the "start", each entrepreneur begins his activity, focusing on one direction:

wooden Toys;

plastic products;

Stuffed Toys;

production of goods for children from different materials.

The main criteria that must be taken into account by novice manufacturers are the safety of products and the interest of little "experts" in them. Experienced business entities who have worked in this industry for many years recommend developing toy designs using the advice of child psychologists. They will help to create not only a bright and beautiful toy, but also make sure that the product contributes to the development of the child. The result is safe, beautiful, eye-catching and educational toys for children.

In the process of creating new products, the following factors must be considered:

the age of the children for whom the toys are intended;

offers of similar (or strongly similar) products of competing firms;

the cost of production of this product;

its competitiveness.

Many in this line of business test their products with the help of their children and their friends. Large companies first produce a trial batch to test the children's reactions, and then make changes (if necessary) and start full-scale production.

After choosing a priority area and forming a product range, you need to choose the optimal production technology. In this case, the size of the start-up capital plays a decisive role. Some entrepreneurs start their activities by organizing the production of wooden toys, which are made 50-80% by hand. Naturally, the cost of these products will be high, and the volume of production will be small. Such workshops often work to order, and the mechanism for generating profit in this case differs from the traditional ones; many craftsmen work not to increase production volumes, but to improve the toy itself. They will make 5-10 unique items that will bring him more money than a hundred toys made in an assembly line.

For the production of children's goods in large volumes, it is necessary:

find a room;

purchase equipment;

get all permissions;

hire staff;

start the process of making toys.

Legal Issues

To organize a new direction of entrepreneurial activity, it is necessary to have all permits, first of all, you must register with the tax inspectorate, statistics authorities and special funds. But, before that, you need to choose the organizational and legal form for your future business. If you plan to work in a small workshop, using the labor of 2-5 workers, then it is quite enough to draw up the IP documents and write an application for choosing a simplified taxation regime.

Entrepreneurs who decide to produce large volumes of children's toys in order to cover not only the local market, but also to please children from other regions of Russia, it is best to register an LLC. This organizational and legal form may be the only possible option for registering a business if you have partners participating in the case on equal terms; if you plan to expand your activities and conquer foreign markets; when you need to get a loan for business development. In addition, there are individual factors that influence your choice in this matter. But do not forget that the costs of registering a toy business should be recorded in your business plan.

Given the fact that the products in question are intended for children of different ages, it is necessary that it be certified. The received document will be one hundred percent confirmation that this toy is of high quality and safe for the health of children.

Novice businessmen need to know that the production of toys that copy cartoon characters, TV series, etc. it is impossible without a special license, which confirms your right to manufacture these products.

Another set of documents is required for the production facility. In your workshop, all fire safety requirements must be observed (fire extinguishers and fire shields, emergency exits, etc. are required). All these issues are monitored by the fire inspector and provide the appropriate permission. In addition, the room must have a working water supply, sewerage and electricity, as well as take care of ventilation and maintaining a normal temperature.

Personnel, advertising and sales of toys

The issue of forming the company's staff directly depends on the scale of production and the availability of sophisticated equipment.

In addition to ordinary workers who will be directly involved in the production of toys for children, you need:

equipment adjuster;

• Shift Supervisor;

technologist;

• Foreman.

The next category of employees of the company consists of: the head of the entire company, chief accountant, designer, sales manager, office manager, as well as other employees who contribute to the effective work of the company. But do not forget that in each case there are certain points that can influence the formation of the state.

Considering the production of toys as a business, it must be remembered that any direction of commercial activity will not be profitable if you do not engage in advertising. In this situation, it is possible to carry out promotional activities even before the production workshop starts working. It is best to simultaneously engage in advertising in the media, distributing leaflets and creating a company website, developing pages on social networks, as well as placing relevant ads on all available resources.

The effectiveness of promotional activities will be shown by the process of selling the first batches of products. By this time, young mothers and fathers living in your region should already know the name of the company and the range of toys offered.

The sale of goods for children can be organized as follows:

using the World Wide Web, focusing on small-scale wholesale parties;

sell toys to specialty stores, supermarkets and other retail outlets in small wholesale lots;

sign contracts with private kindergartens and other childcare institutions;

open your store right next to the production hall.

Economic indicators

As you may have guessed, it is impossible to give a general example to demonstrate this direction of commercial activity (a workshop where thousands of toys are produced per month cannot be compared to a small workshop). But if we take the average statistical data based on the information provided by real entrepreneurs, then we can say that opening a shop (one-time costs) requires about 1,500 thousand rubles. Such a business should pay off in a year or two of normal work. That is, your average monthly profit will be at the level of 100 thousand rubles, which is a good indicator even for a steadily developing economy, and in this case we are talking about unsatisfactory macroeconomic indicators.

If you organize this business at home, then you need much less money, the main items of expenditure:

purchase of raw materials;

• salary of employees.

Profitability, gross income and bottom line in this case depend on your skill and ability to sell. But today you can find a lot of examples when a home business producing unique toys allows you to make a decent profit.

A detailed study of all aspects of the production and sale of toys shows that this is a promising and interesting direction of commercial activity, which can be organized without huge capital and other resources to "start".

The production and sale of children's goods for entrepreneurs has long been considered promising activities. The situation has not changed in our time. A vivid confirmation of this is the huge selection on the market of toys designed for children of all ages.

On the other hand, quantity is not the main indicator, since modern people prefer to buy useful and high-quality things for their children. In this regard, we can safely say that the production of wooden toys is a promising type of entrepreneurial activity.

Market Review

As the analysis of the domestic market for children's goods shows, the lion's share belongs to cheap products of Chinese origin. If a few decades ago, goods from the Middle Kingdom were considered a real wonder, now, in the majority of cases, they are nothing more than consumer goods, from which our consumer is frankly tired. As a rule, these products are made of substandard materials.

Now there is a situation on the market when domestic consumers are increasingly giving preference to more expensive, but high-quality and environmentally friendly goods. This is especially true for parents. In this regard, the business plan for the production of wooden toys looks very relevant now.

Advantages

Toys made of wood have a number of advantages over their plastic counterparts. First of all, in this case we are talking about the environmental safety of such products for a child. In addition, they are more durable and have an original design.

As a business, the production of wooden toys looks very attractive due to the need to invest a small amount of financial resources at the initial stage.

As practice shows, usually about 50 thousand rubles are enough to purchase equipment and organize this kind of activity.

The entire manufacturing process in this case is quite simple and consists in the preparation of blanks, their processing, coloring and packaging.

Wooden toys are not inferior to their competitors in such an aspect as modernity. The fact is that, in addition to the usual classic models (pyramids, cubes, cars), there is now a wide range of modern varieties on the market. Among them, toys with electronic elements, as well as educational models, have recently become the most popular.

Necessary equipment and personnel

A factory for the production of wooden toys should consist of several premises. Each of them will specialize in certain types of work, which were discussed earlier - processing, assembly and painting. As for the tools, at the initial stage it will be enough to acquire a milling machine with programmed digital control, as well as drilling, edgebanding and grinding devices, a chisel, a hacksaw and a plane.

Knowing the main characteristics of future products, as well as the potential scale of production, it is possible to draw conclusions about the need for certain tools. Among the consumables, in addition to the wood itself, packaging means (bags, boxes) are needed, as well as varnishes and paints, which must be chosen for reasons of their environmental friendliness.

The production of wooden toys cannot be organized without the hiring of appropriate specialists. At the initial stage of business development, part of the work can be done independently, but two or three more people still have to call for help.

It is desirable that they have some experience in this area. In the future, subject to the achievement of certain success, it will be possible to additionally hire artists, designers or other specialists. In order to save financial resources and delivery of goods at first, it is better to do it yourself.

Sales of finished products

Having organized such a type of entrepreneurial activity as the production of wooden toys, it is necessary to first think over the ways of selling the finished product. As practice shows, the best option is to open an Internet site.

In addition, you can try to establish cooperation with specialized stores. Such products are highly valued abroad. On the other hand, one cannot fail to note the fact that the production of wooden products there, too, is well established. In this regard, in order to interest foreign consumers, it is necessary to create exclusive author's handmade models.

conclusions

In order to successfully set up the production of wooden toys, a novice entrepreneur needs to master a number of professions, from a sales manager to a director of a company. It is recommended to hire additional personnel only after the appearance of a stable number of orders and an increase in sales revenues. Based on the experience of many similar companies, this occupation has every chance to become the main business of life and bring stable profits.

If you look closely at modern toys, it is mainly plastic and polymers. Yes, these are lightweight and durable materials, but their chemical constituents are harmful to the child. For this reason, mothers began to give preference to toys made from natural materials, in particular, from wood. And the production of wooden toys has become a very popular niche in the business.

Assortment of toys

It only at first glance seems that toys carved from wood are boring and uninteresting. But if you approach the matter with enthusiasm and creativity, you can come up with original models that will interest the most capricious young buyer.

Video from the World of Wooden Toys (MDI) plant

Our business valuation:

Initial investment - 450,000 rubles.

Market saturation is medium.

The complexity of starting a business is 9/10.

So what kind of toys can you make from wood?

1. Transport (car, tractor, etc.).
2. Railroad with wooden rails and a train (sounds strange, but such sets are very popular today).
3. Educational toys made of wood (for the smallest - pyramids, and for older children - puzzles, puzzles, construction set).

With your own hands

If you know how to make simple toys with your own hands right at home, or you have a small workshop, then you can register an individual entrepreneur and start selling your work. You can start with friends and acquaintances who will transmit information about your mini-business through word of mouth.

Making wooden toys with your own hands often takes a lot of time, but the finished product can be safely called the proud and fashionable word for today hand-made. Such products will be eagerly snapped up by those who want their children to have everything unique. Also, such a business makes it possible to make some specific toys to order, because a real craftsman can cut from a tree even Smesharikov, even Transformers.

Universal woodworking machine Enkor Corvette-320

Large production

If your goal is a real mini wooden toy factory, then you will need:

1. Production room. It is good if it will have several rooms (workshops) in which various technological processes will take place: wood processing, painting, assembly, etc.
2. Machine tools for the production of wooden toys (at least milling, drilling, grinding, facing) and other tools (planers, chisels, hacksaws, etc.).
3. Equipment and consumables for painting. It will be impossible to save on the quality of paints and varnishes, because the products are intended for children.
4. Package. Wood will do better in plastic than in a cardboard box. Although the latter is more environmentally friendly.

Staff

The production and sale of wooden toys is not only equipment and materials, but also personnel. There must be a division of labor, i.e. it is undesirable for one person to be both a sawmaker and an artist at the same time.

For the production of better and more varied products, you can purchase special computer programs, thanks to which it will be easier to develop original toy models. The very technology for the production of toys from wood does not differ in complexity. The process consists of cutting out parts, painting them and assembling them. But no matter how simple the process is, you cannot do without specialists. At the initial stage, one person is enough for each workshop. Subsequently, the business can expand and attract additional employees.

Potential competitors

The production of wooden toys for children as a business in Russia has attracted the interest of many enterprising people who have opened the following companies:

• "MDI" - World of wooden toys (made in China).
• "Tomik" (Tomsk).
• "Screw and Shpuntik" (made in China).
• "Buratino" (made in China).
• "Krasnokamskaya toy" (Perm).

Before starting your own wooden toy business from scratch, take a look at the listed companies' product range and take a note of some ideas. You can choose a specific type of wood toy by making it your own. Or produce a wide variety of products for children of all ages.

Marketing methods

Finished products can be sold in different ways. The first option is to wholesale to toy stores. It's simple, but often the wooden toys on display are overshadowed by soft "singing" cats or colorful transformers. Therefore, there is a second option: to open your own small shop based on the production. It can be located not far from the workshop.

Third option: online store. To do this, you just need to develop a website and fill it with content containing information about toys and their photos. The development of an online store is another plus 50 thousand rubles on account of the initial capital.

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Initial investment

Small costs cannot be dispensed with here, because there are a lot of cost items:

• rent (purchase) of a large area;
• hiring specialists;
• purchase of a computer program and training of employees to work with it;
• lease (purchase) of equipment;
• purchase of consumables.

It won't be cheap to buy equipment for the production of wooden toys. The machines must be new to exclude defects. Hooks, irregularities - all this threatens with microtrauma for the child, which is unacceptable.

If we take an approximate amount, then the starting capital will be 400-500 thousand rubles. If you draw up a competent business plan for the production of wooden toys and how to protect it, you can get a grand or just a bank loan. The project's payback begins after the first lots are sold, because the price tag for wooden toys is usually quite high. It will be possible to completely "recoup" the invested funds in a year and a half, depending on the success of the enterprise.

Benefits of wooden toys

Many entrepreneurs, choosing a direction in business, make a start not only from financial, but also from ethical considerations. They want to receive from the enterprise not only profit, but also moral satisfaction. Wooden toys for children are ideal, because you create safe, natural products that bring joy.

It should be noted right away that wooden toys are products for a narrow circle of consumers. Parents whose children are used to playing modern Transformers and tablets will not buy a wooden train or a car for their child. It will just be pointless.

Your clients will be modern mothers who understand the advantages of wooden toys:

• environmentally friendly products;
• strength, unlike plastic analogues;
• domestic production (today it has a high prestige among Russians);
• unusual design, original models;
• return to childhood, because modern parents mainly played with wooden cars and locomotives.

Practice shows that love for wooden toys is instilled literally after one model that fell into the hands of a child. Therefore, your efforts will not go in vain. Sooner or later, the attention of most children and parents will be riveted to wooden toys, and your company will receive maximum popularity and, therefore, profit.

The high interest in such a direction of commercial activity as the production of wooden toys can be explained not only by the desire of many entrepreneurs to organize a profitable and promising business, but also by the concern for our children. Modern materials for the production of toys can be compared to a time bomb.

Of course, plastic and polymers belong to the category of strong and reliable chemical compounds, but some of them can harm children, despite the constant monitoring of SES and institutions that issue quality certificates for products for babies. The terrifying picture of infant mortality and the general state of health of babies makes us look for the causes of such negative phenomena. And toys play an important role in this list.

The presented article examines the main points of the organization and development of the production of products for children from environmentally friendly wooden materials. Readers will learn what is needed to create their own company, how to organize the commercial production of toys from natural raw materials with a minimum amount of start-up capital, and also receive information about the main problems that await aspiring entrepreneurs on the way to implementing this commercial project.

The production of wooden toys - the prospects for this business

Despite the fact that our country has all the prerequisites for the production of wooden toys, this business does not belong to the category of popular commercial activities. In all of Russia, there are less than a hundred factories, plants, workshops and workshops that produce wooden products for babies. At the same time, in Europe, this figure is at the level of several hundred, excluding small workshops and individual specialists in the manufacture of toys from wood. So, the first reason why you should pay attention to this line of business is the lack of manufacturers of quality toys from natural raw materials.

The main competitors in the domestic wood products market are Chinese factories and plants. But they cannot really compete with domestic producers. Chinese toys are not of high quality, they can hardly be classified as developmental products, and the unstable situation in the foreign exchange market negatively affected their value. The absence of real competitors confirms the fact that the manufacture of wooden toys in our country can be viewed as a promising business.

The unstable situation in the economy and the deteriorating financial situation of many citizens of our country negatively affect the purchasing power of the population. But even in these difficult conditions, loving parents will not spare money to buy a quality product from natural raw materials for their child.

That is, this industry will develop even during a general decline in production. And the most important argument in favor of the development of this field of activity is that wooden toys are absolutely safe for the health of your children.

Taking into account all the above facts, we can conclude that the production of children's toys in Russia is a promising direction of commercial activity, which is of interest both for experienced businessmen and investors, as well as for beginners. But do not think that everyone who organizes an enterprise for the production of products from natural raw materials will immediately start earning huge sums of money. To do this, you need to work hard and be ready to solve a large number of issues related to finding talented craftsmen, issuing permits, renting premises, purchasing equipment, etc.

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* Calculations use average data for Russia

We have already written several times about how to open a business related to the production of toys, including toys made from natural materials and, in particular, from wood. The relevance of this business idea is not only not decreasing. On the contrary, the difficult economic situation in the country, a sharp rise in the exchange rate and the restriction of imported products - all this leads to the revival of almost forgotten traditions and to an increase in interest in domestic games and toys.

Wooden toys are popular not only in our country. They are one of the oldest and most enduring groups in the assortment of games and toys in the world. Nevertheless, at present their production in Russia is rather poorly developed. There are several relatively small businesses and individual entrepreneurs operating on the market. In total, the total number of factories and individual workshops is a little more than thirty throughout the country (!). For comparison, several hundred factories (including large enterprises with a large number of employees) and thousands of lovers of artistic woodworking are engaged in the production of wooden toys in Europe.

In our country, the market for wooden toys is dominated by imported products, mainly made in China. Moreover, most of the Chinese toys are of low quality and not the greatest variety of shapes. According to analysts, today there are good prerequisites for new participants to enter the market. These include the rapidly growing volume of sales of children's goods in our country and, first of all, children's toys (an increase of about 28%), which, in turn, is associated with an increase in the birth rate, an increase in interest in the early development of children (which is impossible without high-quality and toys that are “correct” from a pedagogical point of view) and consumers' preference for safe and high-quality products (even if they have to pay a price higher than the market average). As mentioned above, even the crisis had practically no effect on this market segment. Quite the opposite. Parents are the last to agree to save money on their children, but the economic situation forces them to look for alternatives to imported toys that have become more expensive among domestic products. Wooden toys are durable and durable. High-quality wood products are completely safe for children, function as educational toys and are considered an original gift for any occasion.

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However, the toy business in general, and wooden toys in particular, cannot be called simple. The manufacturer is required not only to be able to develop an original concept for their products, to set up production, to find the optimal ratio in terms of price and quality of goods, but also to bypass other competitors, create and implement an effective campaign to promote their toys. Moreover, it is the latter tasks that are most difficult to solve. The very same technology for making wooden toys is considered to be relatively simple and does not require large investments.

Organization of production of wooden toys

In order to organize your own small enterprise for the manufacture of games and toys from wood, you will need, first of all, a separate production facility. It is best to divide the room into several production areas, isolated from one another. In one of these zones, artists will work, who create sketches of future toys, in others, the production process will be carried out: wood processing, painting, assembly and packaging of toys. The workshop also needs to be supplied with electricity and water supply.

Finding a room is not a problem. For a start, you can get by with even a small area. Someone opens production in a garage or in a summer cottage. But with the equipment, the question is more complicated. It is widely believed that general-purpose woodworking machines will be enough for the manufacture of wooden toys. The minimum list includes a chisel and four machines - grinding, drilling, edge banding, CNC milling, painting equipment, packaging equipment (however, you can also pack products manually). Consumables for making toys - linden, birch, spruce, pine, beech (the strongest, but at the same time the most expensive raw material). Different types of wood are purchased in different regions of our country. For example, beech is imported from the Krasnodar Territory, and birch is imported from the middle lane. Only high-quality paints are used for painting, which are completely safe for children. However, with them, too, everything is not so simple. There are no more than three domestic manufacturers of completely safe paints in our country. In addition, they do not offer real paints, but rather toning mixtures of oils with natural waxes. Although these formulations are completely safe for children, their covering ability leaves much to be desired. Such paints, although environmentally friendly, are too transparent. It would seem that that's all the costs.

The problem is that not everything can be made on a conventional woodworking machine. Of course, if you are going to produce standard products (cubes, balls, counting sticks, etc.), then a four-sided planer, a trimmer with a fine cutter, a lathe copier or a template knife on a regular lathe, a screw-cutting lathe will suffice. But for the manufacture of complex author's (and, therefore, exclusive) toys, special equipment will be required, including machines for high-quality processing of small parts of complex geometric shapes. Unfortunately, there are no domestic machines of this type, in principle. Even in Soviet times, when the production of wooden toys was put on stream, thirty machine-building plants of the Glavdrevstankoprom of the USSR Ministry of Machine-Tool Industry were not able to produce all the machine tools necessary for the industry. By the way, the world-famous Soviet matches and ice-cream sticks, which were produced at the enterprises of "Tsentrmebeli", were made on Swedish equipment.

The technological process of manufacturing wood products assumes that the smaller to make, the more difficult it is to make. Especially when it comes to large quantities of manufactured products. In the West, even robots are used to make complex wooden toys. Of course, we are still far from such technologies. Most small workshops make do with the simplest and cheapest general purpose machines. And complex products can be made on them, but this requires qualified and experienced craftsmen. Unfortunately, there are very few such specialists in our country. In addition, handmade toys are labor intensive and therefore cost much more than factory toys. It is difficult for them to compete with products made in the countries of Southeast Asia, where the world production of toys is gradually moving. Chinese factories are constantly upgrading equipment and improving the quality of their products. These factories can employ thousands of workers, engineers and designers. Domestic craftsmen never dreamed of such a scale. Russian manufacturers of wooden toys, on the one hand, are trying to revive the traditions that existed earlier during Tsarist Russia and later in the USSR, but they do not yet have the capacity to implement their ambitious projects. The problem, as usual, is money. Everyone is trying to solve it in their own way. Some companies are moving production to China, while others simplify their toys in shape or choose one direction for work (for example, the production of constructors from elements of geometric shapes), which allows the use of cheaper woodworking equipment. Both options are suitable for organizing mass production.

Handicraft workshops, on the other hand, rely on the exclusive - handicraft, complex shapes, careful study of each toy and a limited assortment. This is how completely extraordinary products are born. True, the prices for these products cannot be called ordinary either. For example, a detailed wooden doll 45 cm in size will cost about 8-10 thousand rubles. How many parents can buy such toys for their children? The entrepreneurs themselves say that with the correct positioning, there will always be demand for exclusives, no matter what price they ask for. However, such production can hardly be called profitable: with small batches, even a large margin does not save the situation.

There are also medium versions, when a small workshop produces small and not very complex, but, nevertheless, designer toys. Their cost is comparable to the cost of quality factory-made plastic toys. Parents are usually willing to overpay a little for environmental friendliness and originality of the toy.

Large companies rely on ease of manufacture, the absence of small parts that a child could break off from a toy, and a bright design that attracts the attention of children. Small firms cite unusual design, muted colors (pastel colors), “souvenir” orientation of their products and limited edition as their competitive advantages.

Regardless of the volume in which you manufacture your products, you will need special computer programs, with the help of which it will be much easier and easier to create original toy models and launch them into production.

Documents for the production of children's toys

All toys intended for children must be certified. This procedure is mandatory and serves as a confirmation of product quality. In addition, for the production and further sale of children's toys in Russia, it will be necessary to issue a hygienic certificate - the so-called sanitary and epidemiological conclusion (SEZ). Although, according to the law, it is first necessary to issue a free economic zone, and only then go through the procedure of mandatory certification of products, nevertheless, authorized organizations working on the principle of "one window" usually draw up both documents simultaneously.

What exactly belongs to the category of "toys for children"? The main distinguishing feature of children's toys is their play purpose. They should be designed for the playful activity of children. Please note: products with an educational or educational purpose (puzzles, strategy games, musical instruments, etc.), puppet dolls, souvenirs, equipment for sports games are not children's toys. All children's toys can be classified by: the age of the child (for newborns, for babies 3-4 months, for children 1-2 years old, etc.); material of manufacture (plastic, rubber, fur, wood, combined); educational purpose (sound, musical, visual, motor, constructive, figurative); device: electrical (a certificate is issued for children's toys in accordance with GOST R 51557-99 and other regulatory documents), soft, simple (cubes), mechanical, collapsible (constructors), on wheels (cars), inflatable (balls, balls ); appearance: dolls depicting people, animals, other creatures, imitation weapons, toy cars, toy objects (pots and dish sets, toy cell phones and glasses), musical instruments, etc.

Ready-made ideas for your business

A certificate for children's toys is issued if the products comply with the mandatory requirements, which are specified in the following standards: GOST 27178-86 Toys. Test methods; GOST ISO 8124-2-2001 Toys. General safety requirements and test methods. Flammability; GOST ISO 8124-3-2001 Toys. General safety requirements and test methods. Isolation of elements harmful to the child's health; GOST R ISO 8124-3-99 Toys. General safety requirements and test methods. Isolation of elements harmful to the child's health; GOST R ISO 8124-2-2008 Toys. General safety requirements. Part 2. Flammability.

When passing the certification procedure for children's toys, the material from which the products are made, the functionality of the toys, and their safety for the child are checked. It is also of great importance to monitor compliance with toys for a certain age of children. Therefore, even at the stage of developing the concept of a future toy, it is worth involving teachers and psychologists in this process. Ideally, it is best to submit your products for psychological and pedagogical expertise at an independent center.

The most difficult situation is with toys for children under the age of three. They must be completely safe (toys for toddlers should not get into the throat or curl around the neck), strong enough to exclude the possibility of pricks, cuts, and designed in such a way that the child cannot break, disassemble or bite through them. In addition, they should be free of rough surfaces and sharp edges. This is especially important when it comes to wooden toys. After all, any defect in surface treatment can be fraught with a splinter or scratch. Rattles and other wooden toys intended for babies are not covered with paint and varnish, but are boiled in a mixture of wax and linseed oil - this is the safest and highest quality wood processing. Only if all these requirements are met will you be able to obtain a certificate for your toys from a certification body.

Keep in mind that as a manufacturer of children's toys, it is up to you to ensure that not only your products, but also the entire manufacturing process, meet the mandatory requirements. The certificate is issued both for a specific batch of products and for the serial production of several types of toys: toy weapons, constructors and prefabricated houses, toy cars, trains (electric and non-electric, as well as accessories to them), airplanes and ships, toy watches, abacus, etc. etc.,

toy musical instruments (pianos, trumpets, drums, gramophones, harmonicas, accordions, xylophones, etc.), dolls, houses, furniture, dishes and clothes for dolls, rattles for babies, etc.

For your products, you will need to issue a Technical Specification (TU) and have certificates for all materials used by you in the production of children's toys. If you plan to import your toys, it is also worth getting a quality management system certificate.

Recruiting staff

Two or three people will be enough to work in a small workshop for the production of children's toys. However, they must be experts in their field, and unfortunately, it is very difficult to find such people. The tradition of making wooden toys is almost lost. Good specialists in this field are found, perhaps, in central Russia and in the north, and not in cities, but in villages and villages. If you can find wood craftsmen, consider yourself very lucky. Over time, the staff can be expanded (the number of workers in large workshops is 15-20 people, and this is in the presence of automated equipment), take apprentices who will be trained by the masters in all the intricacies of work. A good master can also teach everyone on paid courses for making designer wooden toys, which will become an additional source of profit. Some workshops even arrange excursions for those wishing to get acquainted with artistic woodworking and watch the work of the craftsmen. Such excursions are especially popular among foreigners.

Wooden toys are a popular product, but only if your target audience knows about you. The difficulty lies in the fact that you will have to promote your products not only and not so much in your city or region, but throughout the country. The advertising budget in this case will be much higher. The best promotion option is via the Internet. Actively use social networks, including VKontakte, Facebook, Instagram and other services. First, take high quality and beautiful photographs of your products. There is no need to hire a professional photographer for this. It is enough to have a high-quality camera and good imagination. Try to take pictures that are subject and varied. Post them regularly on social networks with various comments. They grab attention ... and new subscribers (and therefore potential customers). To create original photos, you do not need to rent a studio - prepare the props (you can do it yourself) and provide good lighting. It is worth thinking about creating your own website. Moreover, this does not require large investments. You will only need a catalog site with product photos and your contacts.

If you have enough funds, you can open your own online store. A simple option will cost 30-50 thousand rubles. It will also be possible to negotiate partnerships with other online stores and regular stores that sell goods for children and, in particular, educational games. But small manufacturers of wooden toys cannot count on large retail chains. The latter take on sale only cheap products at a selling price of up to 200-300 rubles. With semi-manual labor, such a wholesale price for a toy cannot be supplied. But with large volumes of production, you can sell your products through wholesale companies and retail chains.

Check out the numerous co-procurement projects. The main audience of such projects is mothers with children, so high-quality wooden toys will be in great demand here. A separate group of potential buyers of such products is preschool educational institutions. It is quite difficult to work with them. They are limited in budgets and funded on a leftover basis. Of course, expensive exclusive toys are unlikely to interest them, but educational games and various constructors will be relevant. Often, children who liked the "kindergarten" toy, then ask their parents to buy them the same home.

Experts advise both large enterprises and small semi-handicraft workshops not to miss the annual thematic exhibitions dedicated to goods for children and, in particular, toys. Such exhibitions are held both, in general, in Russia and abroad. The largest and most famous international toy fair Spielwarenmesse takes place every year in the city of Nuremberg (Germany). Experienced entrepreneurs advise beginners to start with regional and then Russian exhibitions. And only after gaining experience and a more or less wide assortment to present their products at international exhibitions. In Europe, the tradition of making toys from wood is much better developed than ours. Therefore, it will be quite difficult to impress European masters. Exhibitions are the best way to make yourself known, establish useful contacts, find new partners and ideas for inspiration.

To organize a small workshop, taking into account the lease, preparation of premises, registration, purchase of equipment and raw materials, registration of licenses, it will take from 500-600 thousand rubles, which is a relatively small amount. In many regions there are programs to support start-up entrepreneurs. For example, you can get a subsidy to reimburse a certain percentage of the cost of purchasing equipment, subsidies to reimburse part of the cost of exhibition activities, or even rent a production facility. These programs are especially relevant for entrepreneurs investing in their business from 1 million rubles.

The circulation of ready-made toys produced by one workshop is usually small - up to 500 pieces of each item. The prime cost of even the most complex toy usually does not exceed 1.5-2 thousand rubles. Moreover, its selling price starts from 3 thousand rubles and above. On cheap toys, the margin is higher. With a cost price of up to 100 rubles, a toy can be sold for 400-500 rubles. The payback period of a business depends on many factors. A small workshop reaches the level of self-sufficiency within the first 1.5-2 years of operation. The profitability of such a business is estimated at 18-20%. The business of manufacturing and selling wooden toys is not seasonal, but the demand increases on the eve of the New Year holidays and decreases markedly by the summer.

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A business related to the production of goods for children, with the correct construction of a development strategy, is doomed to success. Each parent will agree that they are not saving on children now, therefore any children's products are successful in the domestic market. If you correctly assess the size of the market, identify the key factors for the development of the company and develop an original concept, you can build a profitable and quickly payback business for the production of toys.

Market analysis

Monitoring of the domestic toy market is quite controversial. On the one hand, the variety of goods is large and there is clearly no shortage. On the other hand, the share of Russian entrepreneurs in this area is very small - about 15%.

Such firms differ in their specifics - from small individual entrepreneurs who collect toys by hand and sell via the Internet to large enterprises with a large production base and retail outlets.

The rest of the share is accounted for by high-quality but expensive European products and Chinese toys, with the latter prevailing. According to the survey, many parents want to buy toys from a domestic manufacturer, but do not see what they want on the shelves. The problem of Russian factories lies in the meager assortment, limited colors and designs, unwillingness to follow the novelties of the children's market.

Another tendency of the Russian market is that consumer demand is gradually shifting from cheap goods to the sphere of high-quality expensive toys due to the growth of living standards and incomes of citizens. No crisis phenomena affect such demand. This should be taken into account when planning your business.

Stages of building a business

The success of any project depends on planning literacy. The production of toys requires a clear business plan, which will include the following:

1. market monitoring, study of consumer demand;
2. development of a concept and development strategy;
3. overview of competitors;
4. building a product range, choosing a production technology;
5. selection of premises;
6. purchase of equipment;
7. registration of permits;
8. marketing plan;
9. financial calculations;
10. risks.

Choosing a business direction

To launch a full-scale production with a wide range of products requires an impressive investment. As a rule, one of the directions is chosen at the start:

1. toys made of wood;
2. plastic products.

After choosing a direction, you need to develop an assortment range. Children want to see relevant and bright novelties, their parents - safe and educational toys.

One of the most important organizational points is the development of the sketch design. For this you need:

• decide on the age-old category of your buyers;
• analyze the range of competitors;
• consult with teachers, child psychologists.

Large companies then organize a testing phase in which a small group of 5-10 people as users give their opinion.

Also, large firms are working on creating a corporate identity, some even create books or cartoons. The smaller the company, the narrower its assortment.

Choice of technology

The production technology depends on the investments that you are ready to invest in the development of your business. You can make toys:

• with your own hands;
• organize large-scale production.

If you have an idea of ​​how to make various toys that might interest the public, you can organize a business in a small workshop by registering an individual entrepreneur.

This option takes a lot of time to produce one unit, but the resulting product can be safely called the now popular word hand made. Such products are bought by parents who want to give their child everything unique or as a gift. It is also possible to make toys to order, because a real master can make both Luntik and Fixik.

If you are interested in large-scale production, you must:

1. Premises. It is desirable that it consist of a number of workshops for the process of manufacturing parts, assembling them, storing them, etc.
2. Machine tools for production (drilling, facing, grinding) in the manufacture of wooden toys, molds for casting (for plastic products), sewing machines for soft toys, as well as additional equipment and tools - chisels, planers, etc.
3. Packing material.

Business registration

Even working at home, it is recommended not to delay the registration of permits. For a small workshop, you can open an individual entrepreneur with a simplified form of taxation. OKVED code - 36.50 "Manufacture of games and toys"... If you are planning a large-scale production, it is recommended to register a limited liability company.

For the sale of manufactured products, both individuals and retail outlets and networks need certificates confirming quality and safety. To do this, you need to contact the SES authorities for an examination.

If you want to produce toys based on the imagery of famous cartoons or TV series, you need to take a special license from the copyright holders.

Competitor analysis

Main competitors:

1. Chinese factories - acceptable or low quality, reasonable prices;
2. Western firms - well-known brands that sell a wide range of high-quality products, the assortment of which is constantly updated;
3. domestic manufacturers, which are mainly engaged in the production of plastic toys (sand sets, vehicles without mechanisms, etc.).

Sales of products

The main sales channels for toys are:

1. implementation through retail outlets (shops, supermarkets, stalls, etc.);
2. sale via Internet resources;
3. creating your own store (suitable for large-scale projects).

Financial plan

The level of capital investment depends on the size of the business. For example, 60-100 thousand are enough to organize a small workshop at home. If you plan to open a large-scale production, the financial costs will be different. Consider an example of organizing a workshop for the production of wooden toys for children:

1. rental of premises - 20,000 rubles;
2. paperwork - 10,000 rubles;
3. purchase of materials, packaging - 80,000 rubles;
4. purchase of equipment - 140,000 rubles;
5. wages to employees - 40,000 rubles;
6. expenses for utilities and transport payments - 10,000 rubles.

As you can see, to open a workshop for the production of toys, investments of 300 thousand rubles are required.

• 1 Pros and cons of this business
• 2 Manufacture of wooden toys
  • 2.1 Business registration
  • 2.2 Finding a room
  • 2.3 Purchase of equipment
  • 2.4 Purchase of raw materials
  • 2.5 Staff recruitment
• 3 Manufacture of wooden toys - business plan
• 4 Manufacturers of wooden toys in Russia
• 5 Frequently asked questions
  • 5.1 Where to sell finished products?
  • 5.2 What are the requirements for wooden toys?

At all times, the manufacture of goods for children (especially toys) has been a promising type of entrepreneurial activity. This business has not lost its relevance today - a huge number of all kinds of products for babies (both foreign and domestic) are presented on store shelves.

Despite the abundance of children's products, consumers prefer to buy high-quality and safe products, because the health of the child depends on it. Wood is an environmentally friendly raw material that does not contain harmful toxins, and therefore products made from it are harmless. This gives the right to assert that the production of wooden toys in Russia is a promising type of business that brings owners a stable income. Let's analyze its features, competitive advantages and disadvantages.

What the article is about:

Pros and cons of this business

If we consider the situation on the domestic toy market, it becomes clear that most of the products are imported from friendly China. Businessmen benefit from this approach, since the product is inexpensive, sells well, and accordingly, money turns around quickly. But "Made in China" products for children have become low-grade consumer goods. Despite the cheapness of the goods, the consumer demand for products from the Middle Kingdom is gradually decreasing, since low-quality materials are used for their manufacture, moreover, they are often unsafe for health. Parents want to buy good products for their children, while many are willing to pay significant sums, giving preference to material safety and workmanship.

The production of wooden toys as a type of entrepreneurial activity has certain advantages and disadvantages. The advantages of this business include:

• environmental safety of manufactured products;
• high consumer demand for wooden toys;
• average level of competition in a niche;
• ease of manufacture;
• production of products of any complexity;
• low investment for starting a business.

Unlike plastic and polymer goods, children's toys made of wood have excellent durability and long service life. Since natural raw materials are easy to process, products can be given any shape and original design. The significant advantages of the business in the production of wooden toys include the possibility of setting a large margin. This is due to the high class of product quality and the environmental safety of raw materials.

Important: to open his own enterprise, a businessman does not need to rent large production areas. At the start, it is enough to have your own garage or outbuilding, where you can place the minimum set of equipment.

Unfortunately, this business is not without its drawbacks. First of all, it is worth highlighting the high prices for wood products in comparison with cheap Chinese plastic toys. This fact significantly reduces the number of potential buyers. It is also worth understanding that toys are not essential products, therefore, if the economic situation in the country worsens, the demand for them will significantly decrease (in contrast to such activities as, for example, the sale of vegetables and fruits).

Important: toys from China are presented in huge quantities in all regions of the Russian Federation. These products occupy almost 90% of the entire market. Nevertheless, wood toys are of high quality, and the demand for them is gradually increasing. With the correct organization of the business, this area of ​​activity will eventually lead to a stable profit.

Manufacture of wooden toys

Let's consider the main stages of starting a business.

Business registration

To begin with, a businessman who wants to open the production of wooden toys should register their activities. It is necessary to contact the Federal Tax Service at the place of residence and register individual entrepreneurship. To do this, you will need to write an application, submit a passport and TIN. During the registration of the enterprise, the OKVED code should be indicated: 36.50 - "Production of games and toys". As for the choice of the taxation system, the simplified taxation system will be optimal.

To open a production, you must obtain permits from Rospotrebnadzor, fire inspection and sanitary and epidemiological station. To register a business as an individual entrepreneur, an entrepreneur needs to pay a state fee of 800 rubles. Since children will use wooden toys, buyers must be sure of their quality and safety, for which they will have to obtain a hygienic certificate at the SES.

The procedure for obtaining permits can take up to several days. This is due to the fact that toys are checked in specialized laboratories for the absence of toxins, in addition, finished products must fully comply with GOSTs and other requirements. Please note that depending on the category of toys, you need to determine the age of the children for whom they are intended. This can be done in psychological centers that carry out an independent examination. The most difficult thing is to obtain quality certificates for toys designed for children under 3 years old, since only safe materials are allowed for their manufacture. In addition, the design of the product must be designed so that the child cannot be injured during handling.

Important: Each batch of wooden toys produced by a carpentry workshop is subject to compulsory certification. In addition, the entrepreneur needs to obtain documents confirming the quality of raw materials. The cost of purchasing certificates is on average about 20 thousand rubles.

Search for premises

How to choose the right production area in order to effectively organize the activities of the enterprise? This issue is one of the most important, and special attention should be paid to its solution. First of all, you need to find small industrial buildings with a total area of ​​at least 70 m2? and a ceiling height of 3 m. This will allow the location of woodworking machines and provide the necessary free space for the work of personnel. It is advisable to divide the premises into the following sections:

• woodworking shop;
• staff room, sanitary zone;
• paint shop;
• parts assembly area;
• finished products warehouse.

To start production, it is necessary to check the availability of a working electrical network, water supply, sewerage, and ventilation systems. To receive customers and store documentation, you can organize an office space in production, for which you should allocate about 10 m2 to arrange furniture, shelves and office equipment. The monthly expenses for the lease of production space are about 30 thousand rubles.

Equipment purchase

An entrepreneur will need to buy machines, a dyeing machine and professional tools. It is undesirable to purchase equipment from China if the supplier is not verified, since in the future, you may have to pay a lot of money for repairs.

Production equipment is the most costly part of organizing a wood toy business. The shop needs to purchase:

• milling machine (with a set of cutters and CNC) - 170 thousand rubles;
• painting apparatus - 50 thousand rubles;
• drilling machine - 60 thousand rubles;
• carpentry tools - 20 thousand rubles;
• belt grinding machine - 65 thousand rubles;
• consumables - 5 thousand rubles;
• edge banding machine - 45 thousand rubles.

In total, 415 thousand rubles will be required to equip the carpentry shop. When choosing production assets, be it a machine for the production of self-tapping screws or milling equipment, it is advisable to find European manufacturers. This will ensure high quality products and minimize depreciation costs.

Purchase of raw materials

Quality wood is the backbone of the toy business, and scale is irrelevant here. Species such as beech, pine and alder are ideal for baby products.

Important: beech is considered the best option, but it belongs to the expensive varieties. This material is imported mainly from the Krasnodar Territory, which will periodically lead to an increase in the cost of raw materials if production is organized in remote regions of our country.

The technology for making toys from wood provides for the use of paints and varnishes that must be safe for children. This is where most entrepreneurs face some challenges. First of all, it should be noted that among the domestic products of paintwork there are only a few brands that meet the requirements. In addition, in most cases, these are simply oils for tinting various surfaces that are not suitable for decorating children's wooden toys. For this reason, Russian businessmen are forced to buy paints and varnishes abroad, which significantly increases the company's costs.

Attracting staff

How to choose the right personnel to work at the enterprise? First of all, you need to find carpenters who can handle wood professionally, as well as carvers. They make parts, assemble or paint whole toys according to a specific pattern. Specialists should be proficient in the technology of working with wood and be able to manufacture various products.

You can't do without a person who will develop the design of toys. As practice shows, the workload of such a staff at the enterprise is minimal, so it is not always profitable to keep it on the staff. As needed, entrepreneurs can seek help from remote workers. Before assigning a task to such a specialist, it is recommended to study his portfolio and examples of work. The cost of freelance services ranges from 8-10 thousand rubles. This should also include the remote work of an accountant to minimize costs.

You will also need an employee who will perform the duties of the administrator of the production company. He must be able to promote his organization on the market, look for suppliers of raw materials and paints and varnishes, find distribution channels for finished products and attract customers. As a rule, such specialists have higher education and experience in a managerial position.

Let's calculate the costs associated with staff salaries. They will be:

• workshop foreman (3 people) - 75 thousand rubles;
• manager-administrator - 35 thousand rubles;
• outsourcing - 10 thousand rubles.

Total - salary costs are in the region of 120 thousand rubles. If a person wants, for example, to make money on needlework, he will not have to maintain a staff and buy expensive equipment. Today, hand-made is in great consumer demand, so such services will always be in price.

Wooden toy manufacturing - business plan

Aspiring entrepreneurs who want to make money from toy manufacturing, making business cards, the maintenance of a private bakery and other activities, it is necessary to draw up a business plan. This will allow you to determine the required amount of initial investment, regular costs of the company, as well as the possible profit.

Let's calculate capital investments:

• rent - 30 thousand rubles;
• equipment - 415 thousand rubles;
• purchase of the first batch of raw materials - 70 thousand rubles;
• registration of the enterprise, certificates - 20 thousand rubles;
• advertising campaign - 30 thousand rubles;
• additional expenses - 5 thousand rubles.

Thus, starting up a business for the manufacture of toys from wood requires an initial investment of 570 thousand rubles. Also, the entrepreneur needs to calculate the amount of monthly costs. These will include:

• rental of premises - 30 thousand rubles;
• tax deductions - 25 thousand rubles;
• salary of employees - 120 thousand rubles;
• depreciation - 10 thousand rubles;
• utility bills - 15 thousand rubles;
• other expenses - 5 thousand rubles.

Total - the monthly costs of maintaining a small production are 205 thousand rubles. Usually, the cost of a wooden toy ranges from 60-80 rubles (with a market value of a product of 150-200 rubles). The company's net profit can reach about 100 thousand rubles per month. If you make designer exclusive toys, the income will be significantly higher. To recoup the investment, it will take approximately 7-10 months for the enterprise to operate.

Manufacturers of wooden toys in Russia

There are a lot of large domestic manufacturers of wooden toys. Let's consider the features of the work of only some of them, which will allow novice entrepreneurs to navigate the competitors' market and understand what products are in demand now:

1. Rus Toy. The Russian Toy Factory was established in 2000. The main production facilities are located in St. Petersburg. Today the company produces over 500 products. The main specialization of the Republic of Tatarstan is the production of models of cars, buses, soft toys and children's play modules. All products of the factory are certified and are in high consumer demand.
2. The bug. Since 2020, the "Bug" company has launched the production of designer toys made of natural wood in Tver. The factory specializes in the manufacture of construction sets, toy cars, educational puzzles and puzzles, laces and other products from birch, maple and beech. The products are certified and meet the requirements of GOST.
3. Fantastic. The Fantastic company is located in the city of Aprelevka (Moscow region). The company has its own facilities and is one of the largest suppliers of goods for children. The factory catalog contains:
   • natural wood constructors;
   • board games, houses, cars, figurines;
   • pyramids, lacing, sorters;
   • wooden scooters.

Frequently asked Questions

Let's consider the most common questions on the topic.

Where to sell finished products?

The most important stage in the development of an enterprise for the production of wooden toys is competent marketing, because the final profit depends on the number of attracted buyers and the popularity of the brand. Therefore, you should pay great attention to the distribution channels of finished products and conduct an effective advertising campaign.

The word of mouth effect works very well in this niche. If the mini-factory produces excellent quality products, buyers and competitors themselves will spread this information among themselves. The company's activities will immediately become known, and soon people themselves will begin to contact you for cooperation.

As for advertising tools, advertisements in city media, distribution of flyers and brochures, information in public transport work well. It is also necessary to take part in all kinds of fairs, exhibitions, charity events, which will allow you to quickly gain fame and reach a new level of development.

Author's products are in great demand on sites for the sale of things and accessories. It is quite difficult to offer your product to online toy stores, since their owners prefer to cooperate with trusted suppliers, but in the presence of exclusive items, the chances of success increase significantly. You should also establish sales channels with:

• wholesale buyers;
• shops selling children's things and toys;
• large retail chains.

A wooden toy factory should have its own website and social media groups. Promotion through internet marketing also brings very good results for increasing company awareness and profits.

Another interesting distribution channel is the sale of wooden toys to foreign buyers. Do not forget that in many developed countries, as well as in Russia, factories for the production of children's products are successfully operating, nevertheless, a unique author's handmade toy will always be in great demand. You can easily find foreigners who want to buy an exclusive on the Internet.

What are the requirements for wooden toys?

As we have already said, regulatory authorities impose quite high requirements on wooden toys, because we are talking about the child's health and safety. In order to obtain a product certificate, each type of product must comply with established standards. They are defined:

• GOST ISO 8124-2-2001;
• GOST R ISO 8124-3-99;
• GOST 27178-86.

As for the production of children's toys from wood, the finished product should not have chips, cracks, burrs and other flaws that can injure a child. Assembling the product should be easy, without causing any difficulties for small children. Here are some simple examples. Pyramids are quite popular toys that represent a rod with a base. They should be easy to assemble and be bright so that the baby's memory develops. The same goes for small puzzle sets.

It should also be remembered that small parts should not be allowed in play sets, because children at an early age are curious and often pull various objects into their mouths, which can lead to undesirable consequences. It is also necessary to pay careful attention to the chemicals used to treat the surfaces of products. Varnishes and paints should not cause allergies in the child.

In the sector of plastic toys on the domestic market, a "redistribution" is slowly but surely taking place. The recognized leader - China has greatly weakened its positions in recent years. It was pushed aside by the producers of the post-Soviet space. The next step is the struggle between our enterprises and Western players, whose market share remains unchanged.

Uncomplicated division

In the last two to three years, there has been a steady growth in the Russian market for plastic toys. Its capacity, according to experts in the gaming industry, is increasing annually by about 20-25%. At the same time, experts state that the plastic sector is still very, very far from saturation, and predict no less growth over the next five years. If we talk about the division of the market for plastic toys, then today the share of manufacturers of the post-Soviet space in it is about 20%. About 40% is occupied by Chinese enterprises, and the same amount (40%) by manufacturers from European countries.

According to experts, two years ago, Chinese plastic products occupied almost 70% of the Russian market. So, taking into account today's figure (40%), we can talk about a serious weakening of the position of the Celestial Empire. And the market share of post-Soviet manufacturers is growing every year due to the displacement of goods from China. The main reason is consumers' interest in high-quality and original toys and the increased prosperity of Russians, which allows them not to save on children's goods. “Two or three years ago, buyers bought mostly inexpensive products: the cheaper the better,” confirms Andriy Marchuk, Head of Marketing at Polesie. - First of all, they were interested in the price. And now they pay more attention to the quality and functionality of the toy. "

“In the next three to five years, the range of plastic toys produced in Russia will expand,” says Rustam Kashaev, deputy director of the Sovtekhstrom enterprise. - Domestic goods will become of better quality, their design and packaging will improve. Some toys will be produced under the brands of retail chains. Nevertheless, even all Russian manufacturers taken together will not be able to fully meet the market demand for plastic products for games. "

If we take exclusively the post-Soviet production segment of the plastic toy market, then the balance of forces here is approximately the following: about 70% were “captured” by three large factories - Nordplast (Russia), Polesie (Belarus) and Stellar (Russia), and the rest 30% is accounted for by smaller enterprises. Opening a plant for the production of plastic toys is a very expensive business (high cost of equipment and molds, huge costs for the development of new products, etc.). Therefore, experts do not predict the emergence of a new major player in this manufacturing sector in Russia and the CIS countries. “In addition, today all foreign companies are trying to open production in China - it is much cheaper,” notes Andriy Marchuk.

“The main competitor of all Russian manufacturers is China,” Rustam Kashaev supports his colleague. - It is necessary to develop and produce such a product, which in terms of quality, price, properties wins in comparison with the Chinese. And to pursue such a policy so that it would be more profitable for Russian trade enterprises to purchase plastic toys from domestic manufacturers. Today, on the shelves of stores, for example, sand sets, mosaics, medium-sized transport toys without mechanisms are mainly represented by Russian brands. Our task is to make this list expand ”.

However, representatives of the manufacturing sector of the Russian gaming industry will sooner or later have to think about competition not only with Chinese, but also with European enterprises. This is much more difficult - after all, the share of European players in recent years has been confidently holding at 40%. On their side are well-known brands, high quality, a proven system of promotion and sales. And they are clearly not going to surrender their positions without a fight.

Unsatisfied demand

The Nordplast plant is the largest Russian manufacturer of plastic toys for children, one of the leading domestic manufacturers. Over the past two years, the assortment of the enterprise has tripled: from 50 to 150 items. The main product groups are cars, tractors, sand sets, educational toys, sporting goods and construction sets. The company manufactures products in various price categories: from inexpensive sand sets to luxury garages-constructors.

If we talk about the sales leaders of the plant, then it is worth noting a series of "Nordics" (6 variants of machines). It appeared in the assortment of "Nordplast" three years ago and during this time it became a hit of sales among other products of the enterprise. According to the plant's specialists, the main advantages of this series, which helped it to come out on top, are beautiful design, bright colors, high-quality performance and an affordable price. "Nordics" are toys for every day, they are miniature and compact, do not take up much space, the average size of one item from the series is 7x12 cm.

Among the latest innovations of the enterprise are construction sets, educational games, new sand sets. For example, in the near future a new series of educational games "NAME" will be on sale. It helps children learn to recognize colors and shapes of geometric shapes, and also teaches them basic mathematical concepts. The games will also help develop fine motor skills and creative imagination of the child.

“Today the demand for our products exceeds the supply: the incoming orders are greater than the volumes that we produce,” says Oksana Kondaurova, commercial director of the Nordplast plant. “Therefore, in 2007 the plant plans to increase the output of toys by at least 20%.”

Unfortunately, Stellar specialists declined to comment and did not provide information about the range. Therefore, we do not have the opportunity to acquaint our readers with the point of view on the market processes of plant management, as well as with its products.

Indirect competition

Another largest plant for the production of plastic toys - "Polesie" is located in Belarus, it produces more than 350 types of products. The demand for its goods in Russia is also growing every year, which entails an increase in production volumes: for example, in the last quarter of 2006, the average monthly processing volume was 270 tons. Polesye's products are divided into 4 main areas: transport toys, educational toys (including construction sets), play and sand sets.

The assortment of the plant also includes eight variants of various buckets and four watering cans, plus a variety of shovels, rakes, etc. - thus, due to the various configurations, more than 150 sets for playing in the sandbox can be made. In this group, new items become hits of sales every year. For example, in 2006 the original "flower bucket" was the undisputed leader. This year, according to the plant's specialists, the championship will probably go to a bucket that has no analogues, created using the AML technology (the so-called in-mold labeling). The product is very beautiful thanks to the full color printing. And high-quality due to the peculiarities of production: the image on it does not deteriorate from water, does not fade or scratches - that is, it is completely protected from external factors. The factory has already produced 16 different designs of this miracle bucket.

In the transport series, an 80-centimeter-long "super-giant" car stands out, which can withstand a fairly large weight. The product is produced in two versions: with a body or with a seat. In the second case, the child can get on the car - and this is no longer just a car, but a "wheelchair" for children from 3 to 6 years old. The play sets produced by the plant are expensive goods, so it is difficult to single out the best sellers here, everything is sold fairly evenly. Although a set with a Nanny doll (changing table, bathtub, doll, clothes, bottles, etc.) can still be put in the first place.

Every year the assortment of the Polesie company increases by 15% due to new products - the company does not replace old products with new ones, but increases the number of positions. “We are trying to develop and produce goods that other companies do not have,” says Andriy Marchuk. - This allows you to occupy your own niche and avoid direct competition. Our policy is to focus on original novelties, we try to produce products that do not overlap with the assortment of other factories. Today, there are about 40 molds in development, and in 2007 it is planned to release a large number of new toys in all product groups. "

Younger brothers

As already mentioned, in the Russian market, in addition to the largest factories, there are also a number of smaller-scale manufacturers, including Abriko, Kasson, Sovtekhstrom, Plastmaster, Tekhnolog, etc.

The assortment of the Technolog company can be divided into board games-constructors and prefabricated models. The company's products are unique in their kind and practically have no analogues both in the domestic and in the world market: they are assembly without glue, the mobility of the assembled models and the possibility of real shooting. The games produced by "Technologist" are of an educational nature, teach children logic and the basics of strategic thinking. They also stimulate the imagination and provide communication skills.

The Sovtekhstrom enterprise produces more than 300 types of plastic toys: sand sets, kitchen sets, construction sets, mosaics, pyramids, play items, sports and outdoor games, goods for children's creativity, etc. Kitchen sets are very popular among buyers. They include more than 50 large-sized items, made with excellent quality and interesting colors.

The sales leaders are also products of the sports group and goods for children's creativity. “We are trying to produce products that have no analogues among Russian-made goods, or there is an obvious deficit,” says Rustam Kashaev. “When preparing the release of any new product, we strive not to repeat the size and type of existing toys, so that it would be impossible to directly compare our prices with the prices of other companies - price wars are not for us.”

Overseas curiosities

Many domestic dealers and distributors working with the products of well-known foreign companies bring high-quality European plastic toys to Russia, which creates healthy competition on the market and gives post-Soviet enterprises an incentive for further growth and development.

The Orion Group company, for example, started its activity six years ago and during this short time has grown into a powerful retail operator. It operates in the market with a wide assortment of plastic toys, which is divided into 10 different categories and includes more than 350 items. These are educational games, constructors, cars, goods for girls, summer assortment, bicycles, board games, wheelchairs, children's sports equipment, as well as electronic micro dolls. The company is the exclusive distributor on the territory of Russia of the products of the factories "Orion" (Ukraine), "Technok" (Ukraine), "Maximus" (Ukraine), "Dolu" (Turkey). Orion Group also acts as a distributor of The Wolt Disney Company soft toys and an exclusive Tomy electronic microtoy (these are the world's smallest interactive dolls - micro-babies and micro-dancers).

“At the moment the company has four branches,” says Andrey Nazarov, Development Director of Orion Group. - The central office is located in St. Petersburg, and the branches are in Moscow, Yekaterinburg and the Krasnodar Territory. Own vehicle fleet in each of the branches allows delivering products to retail outlets and warehouses as soon as possible. "

The brightest and most original novelties presented by Orion Group, micro-babies and micro-dancers, toys from the Micromir line from Tomy. This series of electronic toys has already won the hearts of buyers all over the world, and now it has reached Russia. Microtoys are the world's smallest interactive dolls. For the minimum size (3.5 cm) and great functionality, these products even hit the Guinness Book of Records. Micro-babies can respond to voices, claps, crawl, talk, sing, drink milk from a bottle, and even change moods. Each character in the series (there are six of them) has its own character and habits. Micro-dancers are little dancing dolls. Their dance style depends on the melody. The toy can choose the rhythm itself, or it can dance to a given melody.

"I didn't even notice the elephant ..."

There is still a sector in the plastics market in which the likelihood of a new manufacturing player emerging is quite high.

“In Russia today, no one produces large-sized plastic toys,” says Andrei Marchuk. - This segment will develop, it is practically empty. It is not very profitable to bring large toys from China, their weight leads to high transport costs. Of course, there are Western manufacturers producing bulky plastic. But they are located in Europe, where everything is becoming more expensive, and the cost of such goods is quite high. The enterprise, which will start producing large toys in Russia, will have a much lower production cost. In addition, shipping costs are deducted. So, domestic-made large-size plastic toys will be very, very attractive in price. " But until such a new player has appeared, the Polesie company is trying to make the most of all available opportunities - it introduces a large toy into its assortment: cars, sets, etc. The company's specialists note that these products are in great demand today.

The company "Sovtekhstrom" is also mastering an unoccupied niche. “In 2006, we made molds and started production of large-sized toys: Zubr dump trucks and wheelchair vehicles,” says Rustam Kashaev. - Introduced products to our customers and received positive feedback. Already in the first months it became clear that sales of new products will go very successfully. "

Wholesale companies are not lagging behind. For example, Respect, the exclusive distributor of the South Korean brands Oxford and Haenim Toys, is actively importing large-sized plastic toys to Russia. “The demand for these products has started to grow in the last two or three years,” notes Irina Semicheva, executive director of Respect. “And in 2006, our sales of large plastic doubled in comparison with 2005. The niche of large-sized toys is not filled, and there are very few play equipment on the market. Cottage and suburban construction will grow every year, therefore, demand will increase, but there is practically no supply ”.

The advantages of the Korean brands represented by Respect are a wide range of products, high quality plastic and packaging. These products are especially well suited for Russian frosty winters: Korean plastic has passed the so-called "Arctic test" - it can withstand frosts down to minus 20 degrees Celsius. In addition, toys from Korea are distinguished by excellent thoughtfulness of every detail and safety. For example, their slides are curved or wavy - they dampen the speed, and the steps are corrugated so that the baby's legs do not slip. Among the novelties, it is worth noting the play areas - sets of several items, for example, a house, a slide and a swing.

“The main buyers of large-sized plastic toys are kindergartens, play centers and various entertainment complexes,” says Irina Semicheva. - In second place are online stores. On the third - retail chains with large retail space (Mega, Hobby Center, etc.). Then there are buyers from the regions who work “on order” for clients from cottages and country houses. In Moscow, the products are also bought by shops of the Sport and Recreation format, Everything for Home and Garden and retail outlets on the highway. " There are many customers - consumers of large plastic today. It's up to the manufacturers.

So, today the Russian market of plastic toys is in the stage of "redistribution". Here, as in all other segments of children's goods, consumer interest in Chinese products is declining. And the Celestial Empire has literally lost about 30% of the Russian market over the past three years. This is a very significant share, which was immediately captured by manufacturers from Russia and the CIS countries. They offer quality products at affordable prices, a wide assortment, and constantly introduce interesting novelties. Today they practically do not have to "displace" Chinese products - buyers do it for them. In addition, they avoid direct competition with each other - after all, each has found his own niche in the huge domestic market. And the demand for their products still exceeds the supply. But it won't always be that way. Therefore, it makes sense to direct the free forces of the producers of Russia and Belarus to the fight against Western brands. After all, the next large piece of the pie can be grabbed only at their expense.

Igroprom Magazine

 

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