How to start a production of handmade shoes. Shoe factory business plan. Advertising for the organization

Vladimir Grigoriev was the first in Russia to establish the production of custom-made sneakers and sell them all over the world

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Vladimir Grigoriev, perhaps, would not have gone into his own business, if at one time he could buy sneakers and sneakers "not like everyone else's" in shoe stores. But the shoe brands offered pretty much the same thing, which prompted the idea of launching a custom sneaker. The client can choose the color for the model he likes, decorative elements and materials. The founder of the Afour brand, Vladimir Grigoriev, told the site about how to organize a fitting at a distance and why custom-made shoes can be not only classic.

Entrepreneur from St. Petersburg, founder of a shoe brand Afour... Education: St. Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering (Department of Economics). Since 2007, he has been creating bespoke shoes with a friend, but due to the 2008 crisis, the partner decided to leave the project. Since that time, Vladimir has been independently developing his footwear company Afour.

Assortment - yes, no choice

I've always loved interesting shoes. When I was 14-15 years old, I began to ride a skateboard, and one of the important attributes of this activity is sneakers. It was considered especially cool in the area to have pro-model sneakers dedicated to some professional rider. There was not much money, and we just didn’t come up with anything. They even bought our Dynamo sneakers and customized them - they sewed on suede inserts, reinforced the tongue with foam rubber. Often it was a collective work: everyone came up with something of their own. Necessity for inventions is cunning.

When there was money for branded sneakers, it always became an event. A few more people went with the buyer to help with advice when choosing. By that time, the assortment in stores was already large, but very monotonous. This is the disadvantage of stores. If a particular model sells well, the store buys it mostly - and pays less attention to really interesting things. The larger the store, the more difficult it is for it to experiment.

Thus, almost everywhere everything was the same. You come to the store, there are 40 pairs of sneakers. Two of them are more or less interesting. You come to your friends - and everything is the same, because they made the same choice as you.

Work out the base

In 2007, an acquaintance called me and offered to sew sneakers together. I was surprised - how is this possible? It turned out that he wanted to start the production of sneakers, his mother was just working as a shoe designer at a factory in St. Petersburg. All I had to do was draw a sketch of the shoes. And although I was then engaged in graphic design and worked in an advertising agency, I could not draw sneakers from scratch. It turned out either garbage or copies of famous brands. A week later, I called a friend and confessed to failure.

At that time, he owned a classic shoe-making studio - primarily sneakers. Things were not going very well: there were no more than two or three orders per month. I realized that my friend was burned out by his idea and is close to closing the studio. And I, on the contrary, caught fire, it became interesting to me. And the thought came to me that it was necessary to "work out the base" a little harder. This means developing ready-made models, choosing components for them, and limiting the client's choice only to the color of the top.

When the idea was formed, I told a friend about it. To launch a new type of atelier, we needed about 200-300 thousand rubles. For six months we have made a website, opened group"VKontakte", came up with "pigs for coloring" (you could draw in Paint or with a felt-tip pen on paper). At that time, we were both engaged in basic work and everything that we earned was invested in a new project.

The first clients began to appear, but in 2008 the crisis burst out. He knocked us down badly. People then generally refused to buy, especially from sneakers of an unknown brand. Sales plummeted, and my partner said that he was not ready to "raise" all this for the third time. “If you want, you can take this business for yourself, and I went surfing to Vietnam,” he said.

All by myself

This time I decided to go all the way from the very beginning. First of all, it meant learning how to sew, cut and do all the operations yourself. In the first production, we were often told that “this cannot be done”, although we showed them successful examples from other manufacturers. To this we were told that “there are super technologies abroad, but here no one will do that to you”. This approach did not suit me. And I decided to master all the sewing processes in order to clearly understand: is it possible to do what I want or not.

Plus, the factory where we sewed everything refused to cooperate with me. I started looking for a new production and found a shoemaker who had his own workshop. He wanted to close it, but, fortunately, did not have time to either terminate the lease or sell the equipment. In fact, I leased its production. The shoemaker leased the equipment to me, I started working on it and eventually planned to buy it out.

I found and read a bunch of textbooks, got down to work on a sewing machine and started making my first "Frankensteins". Of course, they were crooked and oblique. To learn how to sew even the most simple model, it takes time. From the first production, there are four templates on which I trained. When I started to sew, I started to "tighten", that is, to mold the blank on the last and make the finished product.

Only after six months of "training" I realized that I could fulfill the first order. They became shoes for a friend for a wedding

I started taking orders in 2009. At first I did them all myself. And in free time I was engaged in design, as before, but already as a freelancer. He worked right in the shop. Half a day I cut, half a day I solved the problems of customers.

This went on for a year. Then I took a shoemaker. I sewed models all week, and he came on weekends and "tightened" the products. He did it more professionally. At that time, I achieved my goal: I went through all the processes and understood all the nuances that need to be taken into account. This still helps me in communicating with employees. It's easier for me to solve technical issues by understanding cause and effect relationships.

My company is called Afour. What I liked about this combination of sounds is that it sounds like the word "euphoria". This is the feeling that I get when we produce a new model and a satisfied customer receives his order. I remember almost all clients by sight. They are part of our big family.

Something special

When I learned how to sew basic models, I realized that I needed to learn how to design. It is most important. If the model is poorly designed, it won't work well. I started working on this issue in parallel. After some time, I designed my first model, since then it has always been and is in our assortment in one form or another. These are classic sports boots.

The next stage is website development. I was going to work on an order and wanted to make the ordering process convenient for the client. To do this, I came up with an online shoe designer, where a person can rotate a model, select any part of it and paint it in the desired color. This is a technically difficult task, and I have been looking for performers for a long time. Agencies assigned millions in budgets. As a result, I found a programmer through my acquaintances, and we made a website together, for very adequate money. The first Russian manufacturers.

Our standard for making shoes is 10 working days after the layout has been agreed. Many private footwear firms are chasing our standard but failing to achieve it. They have an average time of making shoes to order - more than a month.

We have a lot of things in production that you will not find in other factories. For example, unique machines for cutting soles. The fact is that all sports shoes produced in Russia are made with ready-made soles, which are simply glued in production. We sharpen all our soles ourselves. And for their production we use modern materials. They answer better technical features walk than the soles of much larger companies.

Of course, we are lagging behind the major sports brands in technology, so we don't go into sports. We make shoes for every day. But our technology itself is much more correct than that of most companies.

Our production is located in St. Petersburg, on the territory of one of the oldest shoe factories in the area of the Moscow Gate - "Victory Factory No. 2". There used to be a whole shoe cluster in this area. Now some kind of infrastructure has been preserved there, and some of the components are sold right on the spot. Thus, we save a lot on logistics.

We rent a couple of small workshops. Compared to classic shoe manufacturing, this is a micro-business. The production is divided into several stages: cutting, sewing, making soles and their connection with the rest of the product, packaging.

Size matters

We used to only sew standard sizes... But then they realized: no one, except people who are keen on this issue, knows what their actual shoe size is, and how it should fit correctly.

Two or three years ago we decided to tackle this issue a little more closely. We figured out the design, and we wanted the shoes to fit perfectly. Moreover, we sew to order. And according to the law, if a person made a mistake with the size, we cannot change his shoes. Selling such a pair to anyone else is almost impossible.

I came up with such a trick as "size slip" - this is a fitting shoe model. According to the classical scheme, when making shoes to order, the buyer is sent a mock-up. I decided that this story is very costly and long for our price category. We have developed a “simplified” shoe model. It repeats the shape of the future block on which the customer's order will be placed. We started sending out these slips and asking if it was pressing, if everything was in order.

We made dimensional slips, in fact, free, and everyone liked them. They cost 1000 rubles, but this amount is refunded when buying shoes. Their production is inexpensive - shipping is more expensive. The sock is made of transparent material. The client measures the slips and sends a photo. Our experts study the image and decide on the right size shoes.

There is a misconception that shoes should fit very tightly because they will stretch out later. In fact, this only applies to width: the shoe does not stretch in length. There are rigid elements in the heel and toe that keep its shape. When we walk, the foot moves slightly relative to the sole. The required distance for this movement is 0.5-1 cm in front of the fingers. If it is not there, then the fingers rest against the sock, and tension arises.

The fitting system reduces the risk that the shoes will not fit almost to zero. But there were such situations. Slips can be tried on in different ways, and this process must be approached carefully. Many are accustomed to the style of online shoe stores, when three pairs are brought home, they need to be tried on in 15 minutes. But in fact, 15 minutes is not enough even to try on one pair. We ask you to walk around your home or office in our slip-ons for at least half an hour.

In the instructions for fitting them there is a questionnaire where you have to answer five or six questions. It takes a couple of minutes. But some write to us: "I'm fine," or "it squeezes from all sides." We look at the photo and understand that everything is not at all the way people wrote it. But in every situation we try to be on the client's side, and take all these points into account. Even if he says that everything is in order, we still ask you to give answers to the points of the questionnaire.

Unsuitable “standard design” shoes may be returned. But we do not accept individual orders back, and therefore we do not send the order until we are firmly sure that the shoes will fit. We'd better send the customer another 1-2 pairs of size slips.

Ordering process: measure seven times

The order is as follows. The client chooses a model on the site. We send him detailed instructions how to take measurements. Using it, he makes himself several measurements of the foot, traces the contour, scans or photographs it and sends it to us. We study the size taking into account all possible errors and send him dimensional slips. The process of examining the data and making the slips takes two days.

After the client approves the size, we launch the order into production the next day. In total, the first order (with dispatch and approval of the slips) takes about 20 days. But this period depends on the efficiency of the client: how quickly he will make and send all measurements, approve the size. For a client from Moscow, you can keep within 15 days. Of course, the further you get from Peter, the more you wait. But this does not stop our clients from Australia.

Customers who want to get their shoes “right now” have to explain that they have come to the wrong address and they need to go to the store. We are often called marketing agencies that threaten to "catch up with traffic" and "drown us in the sea of orders." We refuse because we don't need spontaneous purchases. They come out to us in a huge minus. Recently, a client ordered three pairs of shoes at once. Fortunately, there was a payment failure when ordering. We contacted the client, and it turned out that he did not read the instructions, and did not know about any measurements! He told us: "Why measurements, I have the 43rd size?"

Often people come to our showroom, measure their slips, and it turns out that their real size is less or more than what they considered "theirs" all their lives. They just have a wide foot or some other individual characteristics. No one explains this in ordinary stores. And the legs greatly affect the overall health of the body. If the shoes are not chosen correctly, the sole does not cushion - knees and back hurt. In no case can you save on shoes, no matter how much you want.

Teenagers are not the target audience

Our main client is from 23 years old. Younger people do not come to us because they do not understand the value of our shoes. They need more fashionable and cheaper. Young people also rarely pay attention to the naturalness of materials.

Our buyers can already figure out what they want, and not buy what they are sniffed at in advertising. For example, sneakers from Kanye West cost 15,000 rubles. These are just plain black sneakers, but the guys are queuing up for them because they say "Kanye West". And they all stand in a crowd to buy the same sneakers! And we are for different shoes. Do you like black? Why not try black and yellow? We try to encourage people to be themselves.

The older generation buys our shoes quite often. We have a separate classic line and serious men buy boots from us. But in the "classics" there are many competitors. True, we are making a slightly more modern analogue. Our soles are lighter and less tired during the day. For the classic line, we have made great completeness, implying that older people will buy the classics.

Foreigners are buying more limited editions. Some of them collect unusual sneakers. And it's cool for them to have a couple from Russia, which, probably, "the bear sewed"

Our sneakers and boots are bought in the USA, Germany, France, Australia. Some customers have bought more than two pairs. Our shoes are not available only in South America and Africa.

Materials (edit)

We mix modern materials with those that have been used in footwear for a long time and have proven themselves well. Leather is a membrane material. It releases air and absorbs excess moisture, the leg feels comfortable. We use it for the upper and for the lining, combining it with a cotton insert in the forefoot, where heat and moisture are generated the most. For sneakers, we purchase a "mesh" with high breathability. Sometimes we use textile materials.

The soles are made of EVA material - ethyl vinyl acetate. It absorbs and stores the energy of the foot very well. Under body weight, this material adjusts to the foot. It is more commonly used in sports shoes and orthopedics. The driving part, the protector, in our shoes is made in Italy. We select different types of rubber depending on the season. For winter shoes it is softer and more viscous, for the demi-season and summer it is tougher and better resists abrasion.

We buy some of the material here in Russia, we order something abroad. Most of the materials are imported, but there is also Russian leather. We select the material according to the design, its technical properties, quality and price ratio. We will not give up good Russian leather just because it is Russian.

Of course, it is not true that nothing is produced in Russia. But we actually have a very ruined infrastructure, and many things are really hard to find in Russia. Materials are produced most often in large factories - in a very specific assortment and in very large volumes. This is the main problem. Basically, in our factories you can find what you need. But then you have to buy a huge amount.

Our manufacturers and suppliers do not like to work with small batches. It's easier for them to process one huge order, and then sit all year and do nothing. When I came and said that I needed 100 pairs, they almost drove me with a nasty broom, because the minimum volume is everywhere - from 10,000 pairs. I tell them: "Guys, when I grow to 10,000, I simply will not come to you out of principle." And now they call and say: "Why don't you come to us?"

And this is the general picture of Russian suppliers. Until you shake the bills in front of their noses, they will not even move. They don't want to work for the future. And then they complain that our shoe industry is stagnating and there are no orders.

Soles

The most expensive component in our shoes is the soles. We ordered them abroad. Working with representative offices of foreign suppliers also has its own characteristics. For example, the cost of the soles of one Italian company has increased fivefold due to fluctuations in the exchange rate. Moreover, when the exchange rate grew, the price rose. And when it fell, the price did not change. And now I hear the question from them: "Why haven't you bought soles from us for a long time?" And I can't buy them at that price.

The funny thing is that I was the first Russian customer for this company. I set aside a large amount for the first batch because they were not selling a small amount. And not only did they delay this delivery, they also brought more soles than needed. And they began to sell them to my competitors one by one.

We got very burned on this. And at that moment I decided: we will not save up another large amount for the purchase of a new large batch of soles from some other supplier. We will make them ourselves.

It is easier to buy sheet materials for soles than ready-made soles. It is more time consuming, but there are many advantages to this approach. I can make a large assortment from the same batch of material. If some style ceases to be in demand on the market, I can make a new style from the same material. In this situation, you can order large quantities of material.

Although our volumes have grown, some materials are still sold in very large quantities for us. Sometimes we offer our competitors to buy a batch of material together and split the costs. I would like to import materials directly from foreign manufacturers, without greedy unfriendly intermediaries, but for this the volumes should be larger. I adequately perceive intermediaries, but sometimes it is a shame to give money away simply because they do their job poorly.

Delivery

We deliver orders across Russia by courier services. True, they often have to be changed. We never found a service that would satisfy us for a long time. After some time of work, courier services begin to "deteriorate", and we have to look for new partners.

The main reason for this is that courier firms at some point start to grow and recruit. And in pursuit of profit, they try to hire cheaper couriers. And such employees work very badly.

With our previous delivery service in mid-November, such incidents began that we were shocked. Up to the point that the courier calls the customer who ordered the delivery and offers to pick up the parcel himself at the warehouse. We call their manager, and he says: "Well, yes, we do not work well, but what can I do." And on the website of this "dynamically developing company" a "super client service" is declared. When we wrote a complaint in November, they promised to answer us in December, but they answered only in February. And that's because we refused to pay before receiving a response to the claim.

If something is wrong with the delivery, customers call us and say: "And your courier ..." And we already call the courier service and figure out what the problem is.

For international shipments we use "Russian Post". IN recent times she has become much better at work. In 2017, a rule was introduced at the post office that only one piece of paper was required to be sent abroad. This saves a lot of time. Sending abroad by courier service is very expensive, commensurate with the cost of the shoes themselves.

Economy

The cost of our shoes is very high, almost half the retail price. Both production and service are labor intensive. Due to the individual specifics of the work, we have almost no bulk orders.

The price largely depends on the materials that the client chooses, as well as on whether there is embroidery, embossing, application, etc. Some order "full stuffing" with some embroidery and rare leather. The price of one pair of Afour shoes is from 6500 rubles (these are leather slip-ons). The price usually includes oversized slips if needed. Upper limit- in the region of 20,000 rubles, but if the client wants, for example, python skin inserts, it will cost even more. There is a loyalty system: the cumulative discount (up to 10%) grows with each purchase.

We are often asked why we don’t find investors. It is difficult to attract them, because there is no clear infrastructure, and the business plan moves to the level of sensations and predictions. We don't even have analogues to get approximate statistics. Every year we have a little growth. We then analyze which actions have contributed to growth and which have slowed it down. Based on these results, we plan further development.

Peak seasons in our sales are from September to December and from March to the end of June. In the rest of the months, the demand is less. On average, we make about 100 pairs per month

I couldn't get a loan from the bank, so I borrowed funds for business development from friends and acquaintances. I individual entrepreneur, and banks for some reason do not like us. Some banks asked what I was doing. When I replied that with production, they refused me right away - "We do not credit production at all, we are not interested in this." The banking system does not consider industrial microbusiness at all.

We plan to reach the full payback of the project by the end of 2017. Every year we try to increase sales by 20%. But since we are developing at our own expense, in the first years the growth was very small. Now 20% is an achievable result. In 2016, the growth was about 30%.

Market and competition

Despite the reign of brands, small companies are starting to appear in Europe and Russia that do something interesting out of love for shoes, and not just out of a desire to sell something. And then many of our manufacturers sell outright fakes under famous brands... If earlier such manufacturers made "abibas", now they have become insolent and molded their logo on the products. But this is a dead-end path.

The only "value" of these shoes is the price. But tomorrow someone else will come and offer the same thing for 100 rubles cheaper. This does not develop the industry, they just buy products in China, on which their logo is stuck. It is a shame when such “manufacturers” appear under the flag of a “Russian brand”.

At the same time, there are guys who have their own style. Maybe not everyone likes him, but they do something individual, and I believe that they will develop. When a neophyte who wants to make shoes comes to me and asks for my advice, I advise him with great pleasure. I am in favor of "Made in Russia" - it was cool.

There are not very many companies that make shoes to order. We have no direct competitors, because we have chosen a niche that is difficult for an individual order: sneakers and modern materials. Classic shoes are usually made to order. There are usually standard components, there are no problems with them. And your only task is to do everything well.

And no one produces real sneakers in Russia and does not know how to make them. So all of our rivals in the bespoke footwear industry work in other footwear categories: classic or avant-garde. As such, there is no competition between us. We are friends, communicate and try to help each other.

Payment system as an ally

Abroad history good product and his collaborations play a very important role. Therefore, there arose interest in us, and the appearance of PayPal accelerated this process. Before that, foreigners were alarmed that they had to pay for the order with a card through a Russian service. They said that the bank prohibits them from shopping in Eastern Europe. When PayPal came to Russia, I was one of the first in the country to set up an account in this system.

Foreign customers only pay through PayPal. If this payment system did not come, our foreign orders would end at the payment stage. Now they make up 10-15% of the total sales, depending on the season.

Technically, it is not difficult to work with PayPal, everything is at a very high level here. They have a standard commission for every transaction, there is no subscription fee. Plus, now they have a very fast withdrawal of money through the system. Having received payment through PayPal today, I will receive the money in my current account tomorrow. For a small business that is interested in turnover, this is also a big advantage. Some of these services allow you to withdraw money only after two to three weeks.

This system protects both the buyer and the seller. Once we received a letter from PayPal: "Do not launch the order into production, as there are suspicions that the card was used without the knowledge of the owner." This system allows you to safely shop around the world. If the buyer has problems receiving the order, he can submit a claim through PayPal, and if it is justified, the payment system will refund the money.

There were situations when a client made a claim to us through PayPal. In response, we sent all the correspondence with the client, confirming that we had fulfilled all our obligations. And PayPal sided with you, rejecting the customer's request. In fact, he is like an unbiased broker, and we recommend him to everyone.

Team

The Afour project team consists of 10 people, including those who work in outsourcing. Some operations do not require the constant presence of employees, but we still try to have these works performed by the same people (fashion designers, designers, cutters). It turns out as a "permanent outsourcing".

I myself work as a "man-steamer", in fact, my duties - from a cleaner to CFO... If I were to hire employees for all these positions, the costs would be in the millions, and I would not be able to recoup anything soon. I model myself, I like it, but now I try to work mainly as an art director.

Promotion

In fact, we have only two sales tools: a website and a showroom during production. But the main driver of promotion is the product itself. We originally made it in such a way that it has to sell itself. Word of mouth for us is the most effective and reliable way of advertising.

We also promote our product through collaborations. For example, they made sneakers for the brand of bags and backpacks, according to their style, and jointly promoted all this through common channels. There were also collaborations with artists. With their help, we made "capsule collections" for stores, for example "Nevalenki". Especially for them, we made a surreal model of EggyPop women's boots. On our scale, it made a lot of noise at one time. Until now, sometimes you see these shoes in pictures on social networks with comments: "A man with eggs on his shoes in the subway!" We also collaborated with the St. Petersburg brands ANTEATER and Asya Malbershtein.

Of course, we occasionally use both public and paid ads on Facebook. But we try to do it as organically as possible. We try not to provoke spontaneous purchases. When we ask new customers how you found out about us, we are usually told one of two things: either "friends recommended", or "I followed us for a long time and decided to buy." And we know that the person came prepared, including for our fittings.

We are preparing now new version online constructor for the site, all our models and all materials that we use will be loaded into it. In the previous version, we had only 12 colors available, now the assortment will become much wider. The constructor itself will be much more functional. This is our main task.

We are also installing a new machine that will allow us to make the soles faster. Thus, their costs will be slightly reduced. This will allow us to hold prices for the third year in a row. We try to compensate for inflation by optimizing production and reducing costs, without losing quality and level of service.

We are also planning to open a showroom in the center of St. Petersburg to make it more convenient for customers to come there. We have been planning this for several years already. The business is small, we are developing at our own expense, and it is very difficult to open a store without preparation. But now, finally, a concept has been formed on how to do this best, and at the same time not get lost against the background of other shoe stores. I would like to open it by the fall of 2017.

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Features of tailoring shoes, the choice of equipment and materials

The materials used for the production of footwear are divided into natural and artificial. The first include different kinds leather for the bottom of shoes, which in turn are subdivided into leather for the bottom of shoes with a screw or nail fastening method and leather for the bottom of shoes with thread and adhesive fastening methods, leather for the upper and lining, suede. Dense tough leathers are used to make soles, basic insoles, welts, hard backs, heels.

They are produced by a combined tanning method. Leather, from which the top of everyday, fashion, sports, light, home and orthopedic footwear is made, is made from cattle skins by chrome, aluchrome, titanium-chrome and chrome-free tanning methods. The types of leather depend on the finishing method used, which determines the texture of the raw material (with a natural front surface, refined, pile). Distinguish between smooth leather, grooved and with artistic embossing. For top-dyeing, casein, acrylic, polyurethane and nitrocellulose coatings are used. The highest quality and most expensive shoe suede is considered to be deer skin suede. Also, suede material is produced from elk skins, calyx and goats. In this case, the formaldehyde fatty tanning method is used, before using which the front layer is removed from the skin.

The leather used for the lining of shoes is produced from the hides of cattle, pigs, goats, sheep and split leather using mineral and chrome-synthane tanning methods. As a rule, raw materials of not the highest quality are selected for their production - thin, loose and with a large number of defects, which makes it unsuitable for the manufacture of leather, which is used for the upper of shoes.

Also, the lower and upper parts of the shoes are made from artificial and synthetic materials (rubber and synthetic polymers). There are several types of rubber. Soles and heels are made from conventional non-porous rubber in the form of molded parts. This material is highly resistant to abrasion, but it is heavy and not resistant to low temperatures. Ordinary porous rubbers, which are used for the manufacture of soles, are lightweight, have good shock absorption and heat-shielding properties. Leather-like rubber soles are flexible and durable. Both transparent translucent non-porous rubbers and styronyl, a non-porous rubber with a high content of highly abrasion-resistant rubbers, have high abrasion resistance.

Synthetic polymers include ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA), thermoplastic elastomers, polyurethane, polyvinyl chloride (PVC). EVA materials weigh less in comparison with conventional porous rubber, are easily painted in bright and light colors, have high resistance to multiple bends and minimal shrinkage. Thermoplastic elastomers are block copolymers that consist of alternating thermoplastic and elastic blocks. They are distinguished by a finely porous structure, frost resistance, hardness and strength. Soles and heels are made of PVC, as this material is resistant to abrasion and to many aggressive environments. Unlike PVC, polyurethane is not resistant to low temperatures.

In addition to natural materials, artificial and synthetic leather can be used to make shoe uppers and linings. Artificial leather resembles natural leather, but its hygienic properties and durability are an order of magnitude lower. Synthetic leathers for their hygienic and physical properties are between natural and artificial materials. In terms of structure, they are one-, two- and three-layer.

Shoe production technology

The shoe production technology is relatively simple at first glance, but it has a large number of nuances. First, the parts are prepared, which are then connected to each other. Bottom pieces are attached to the top in several ways using glue, thread, nails, screws and pins.

The main consumer properties of the product depend on the fastening method used - durability, lightness, convenience, water resistance, heat-retaining properties, etc. stitched, inverted, moccasin), combined (welted-glue, sandal-glue, stitching-hot vulcanization). When using the glue method, the sole is connected to the tightening edge of the workpiece with glue, after which the shoes are kept for some time on the pads under the pressure of the press so that the glue has time to set. The technology of glue assembly of blanks is used in the production open shoe from natural, artificial and synthetic leather by the thermal method.

Shoes made in this way are water- and wear-resistant, lighter in weight, but have not as high hygienic properties as shoes made using the thread fastening method. On the other hand, the shoes of thread fastening methods, although they have a beautiful appearance and good consumer properties, but does not differ in water and wear resistance. The hot vulcanization method is used to bond the rubber outsole to the upper, providing a durable and one-piece connection. In this case, a raw rubber compound is poured into a special mold with the contour and profile of the future sole. After molding, the outsole is cured under pressure and high temperature, and then attached to the blank, tightened on the insole.

The molding method also has certain similarities with the hot vulcanization method: the sole of the shoe is molded from plastics and thermoplastic elastomer in a mold. Thus, one-piece molded lightweight beach and sports shoes are made. In the latter two cases (using the hot vulcanization method and the injection method), the shoe production is transformed into a purely assembly one, which significantly helps to reduce costs.

Equipment required for shoe making may include sewing machines, sewing machines, glue applicators, hot plate embossing and perforating presses, die cutters, adhesive film drying and reactivation machines, patching processing equipment, heel nippers, staplers and air guns. , work tables with extractor hood, etc. The exact list of equipment you need depends on the range of products being manufactured and the methods and materials used. In addition to the purchase of equipment, other items of expenses for organizing shoe production include payment of the cost of renting a workshop, wages employees of the enterprise, purchase Supplies(leather, heels, adhesives, heels, soles, accessories, etc.).

Costs of opening a shoe making production

Another significant expense item is participation in specialized exhibitions, where entrepreneurs are looking for new customers and strengthening relationships with existing customers. The largest shoe exhibition is Mosshoes, which is regularly held in the capital. It is there that regional entrepreneurs conduct negotiations and conclude contracts for the supply of goods. However, the cost of participation in this exhibition is quite high and ranges from 100 to 300 thousand rubles.

The organization of a small shoe production shop will require about 500 thousand rubles at the first stage. The revenue of such a company in a season is about 250,000-300,000 rubles. Seasonal periods are considered to be from early autumn to late December, and then all spring months. From January to March and from June to September, shoe manufacturers develop new models, update equipment, revise their assortment and conclude contracts for supplies by the beginning of the season. The net profit of a small shoe company is at first from 50 to 100 thousand rubles. But most of this amount during the first year of operation will be invested in the further development of the company.

Calculator for calculating the profitability of this business

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Shoes are a wardrobe item that every person needs. All people sooner or later buy a new pair of shoes due to the wear and tear of the old. Therefore, before thinking about opening own business, it is worth paying attention to this area, which is relevant all year round: in the summer, men and women, in an effort to create an individual image, buy several pairs of shoes - sports, classic, for hiking, dating, for work, and so on. IN winter time the main criterion for assessing is the quality of the shoe: it should keep warm, not get wet, and at the same time be stylish. In any case, each person gets a pair of new shoes once a year or even 2-3 times.

Considering the production of shoes as a business, it is necessary to be guided not only by high level demand, but also some parameters designed to make your business competitive and profitable.

Business idea and market survey in this area. For example, you need to analyze your competitors, clearly understand what your advantage will be.

Formation of the goal - will it be a real desire to produce a quality product or a thirst for large profit margins.
Determination of the specifics of the business and its specialization. A clear vision of the direction of your business is important here. The fact is that in order to increase competitiveness, it is important to understand what exactly the feature will be, and for this it is necessary to provide for all the options for the development of events.
A business plan that calculates real costs and predicts potential profits, calculates all kinds of risks, settles issues with a sanitary station and other services. Opening and registration of a legal entity.

After going through all these stages, you can proceed directly to opening your own business, which will require certain aspects: renting premises, purchasing equipment, all the necessary materials, advertising costs, and so on.

Business plan

After the description of the project, the calculation part follows, which takes into account all financial parties and aspects of doing business.

Premises: selection and criteria

There are no special requirements, since this is not catering and not production food products, so you can open an establishment in the basement. And this suggests that prices will be lower than the cost of other premises. Nevertheless, if you want to sew luxury footwear for wealthy people, you need to take care of the appropriate quality of your workshop.

Note: the building should not only be located in the city center or in a prestigious area, but also be beautifully decorated.

For the manufacture of shoes, you can choose a room in a separate building or as an element of another structure: it all depends on the offer of commercial real estate on the market and on your personal wishes. On average, the rental cost of a space of 100 square meters will be about 100,000 rubles. This is a fairly small amount, given the fact that for other types of business the requirements for premises are much higher.

Along with the advent of man on planet Earth, there was a need for footwear to protect the feet. The production of footwear has a thousand-year history. Of course, customer requirements then and now differ dramatically. Modern people need not only protection, but also the outer beauty of shoes, inner comfort. There are, of course, a great many companies in the shoe market. Let's talk about how to start a shoe production and raise the company to the peak of popularity.

Product market - where to start a shoe business?

First, decide on the direction of production. It cannot be denied that the Russian footwear market is now very dependent on imports from abroad. But it should be noted that seasonal price hikes attract the attention of customers to domestic production. Of course, if you are looking to start a shoe business, this is a huge advantage. Shoe production is growing and developing. And together with them, the product market itself is optimized.

Manufacturing technology

The shoe manufacturing process has many details and stages. First, the materials themselves come to the footwear factory: genuine leather, leatherette, etc. Then the raw materials go to the cutting department, where the specialists produce parts of the footwear. One shoe usually has about 30 different parts.... They are cut using special cutters or a press. Operators set certain modes on the machine for processing leather. The mode will depend on the thickness of the skin and the height of the cutting torch.

Further, in the same workshop, the manufacture of insoles begins. There is a specialized machine for this process. First, they make the shape of the insole by pressing the material, and then there is firing and gluing. Then the future insoles are sent for grinding, in a certain device. There the edges of the insoles become thinner and stronger. Then the work goes to another workshop, where the specialists - markers work on the cutting lines. After marking, future shoes are fired, where they become more solid. Then the products are dyed. After that, the skin goes back to resurfacing, where the skin is prepared for stitching.

The third stage is the sewing workshop. In this place, both people and machines work harmoniously. Skillful seamstresses sew products for further processing using special machines. After the workpieces are sewn into them, thermoplastic inserts are placed. Thanks to this, the future boot will take on a certain shape that it will no longer be able to lose.

The finished inserts are put on a metal foot, the temperature of which is 150 degrees. And then the products are instantly cooled to -20. Thus, the skin is hardened.

Special laces that are worn on the product also work against deformation. After the leather product has passed all these stages of sewing, the "ruffle robot" begins to work on it. He performs certain actions so that then the semi-finished product can be leveled, glue a rubber layer to it and remove dust from the surface. The sole is attached to the surface prepared by this machine and the excess material is cut off. The sole is preliminarily heat treated in an oven under the influence of 60 degrees.

At the end of this procedure, the shoes are considered finished. Processing begins with textures of sheep wool and wax. The final stage is the placement of laces, this is done by special workers.

Equipment for the production of footwear

Shoe production requires a large number of high-quality machines, as it is a high-tech process. Of course, there are a huge number of companies specializing in the manufacture of shoe machines. Now let's take a closer look at what machines are needed for each workshop. In the cutting shop, at least two punching presses are needed to make individual boot parts from this material. One press will make the tops of the boot, and the second is needed to make the bottom and various layered parts.

In the manufacture of insoles you will need more instruments than in the previous workshop. The main machine is the insole forming press. The next machine for forming and edging the insole. Machine that lubricates the insoles with glue. In addition, to make insulated insoles, you need a hydraulic press. The lower edge of the insole is obligatory for the use of machines.

To the procurement department you also need four cars:

The first machine in this workshop is a shoe top flattener and works on the thickness, flattens it - this is a double banding machine.
Second, you will need a machine that will process the edges of the parts, make the parts more convenient for subsequent sewing, as it lowers the edges of the workpieces.
We need a stamping device that will brand the products, that is, arrange the numbers by which the shoes can be identified.
And the machine is a stunt double, it will double the details of the boot, lining and hot glue materials.

Take care of the equipment at the sewing area - here all the parts should be combined into one shoe. For this workshop, you must purchase a sewing conveyor, several special sewing machines and an installation for greasing parts with glue. You also need a machine for toecaps, hemming and back seams. It is obligatory to use a machine that will form the shoe vamp.

Most of the machines will be needed in the assembly shop. Their operations will be: nailing the insole, working on the vamp, molding the backs, tightening the products. A variety of machines are also needed for blowing, cooling, drying, ruffling and marking. It is necessary to have a thermal activator for adhesive films, a press for gluing seams, a machine for working with pads, devices for smoothing the bootleg, machines for cleaning and polishing shoes. You have already realized that you will need a lot of equipment to make shoes. Usually, all such equipment is delivered to enterprises after a personal order. Therefore, you will not find shops selling machine tools for production on the Internet. You need to contact the main suppliers, that is, factories, and personally discuss all issues with them.

Required raw materials for production

Leather- This is the main material from which shoes are made. There are many tanneries in Russia, for example, "Ronnon" or "Russian leather". Their products are tons of high quality processed leather. Skin happens different types, its cost depends on it. For 1 square meter of suede or perforated products, you will pay 100 rubles, and for 1 square meter of natural leather of cattle, you will pay about 150-180 rubles.

Materials from chemical constituents you can purchase from the Titrus company - these are liquids, oils, creams, adhesives, various reagents necessary for processing leather products at all stages of production. Product Packaging The easiest way is to contract with a company that specializes in the production of various packaging. Manufacturers such as "Antek" or "Planet of Packaging" can easily make you unique boxes

Organization of production

Make a business plan for the production of shoes. All your intended moves and actions should be described there. First, take care of the area of your business. The total area can be up to 7000 square meters. Then think about the workers, the operators, who will be watching the machines. It is enough to hire workers on a two-shift schedule. As practice shows, shoe production requires about 200-250 people... Do not forget about the electricity costs, which will be quite substantial, since the plant will have a lot of cars.

Manufacturing certification

You can make certificates for adult footwear at will, but you must certify footwear for children. But shoes for adults must be declared. Certain types of footwear must comply with the GOST list. Also, shoes with defects are issued separately. And do not forget that your shoes will undergo sanitary and epidemiological control without fail.

Sales market ... It cannot be denied that in order to promote production and maximize sales, you will need to conclude contracts with existing ones. large companies... For example, Tervolina and Ecolas.

Investment in the project ... Business in the production of shoes, according to statistical calculations, will require large investments from you. The amount of your investment will be approximately 180 million rubles. This amount will pay off - after 4 years with stable production.

Application equipment: glue application equipment.