Our production includes a full cycle: from the manufacture of fillers on carding machines to the production of packaging, which ensures high quality of products with minimum costs... In the production premises on an area of ​​3500 sq.

TECHNOLOGICAL PROCESS OF MANUFACTURING BLANKETS

CAMEL WOOL

The most commonand in our country there are blankets with fillers. One of which is camel hair. This raw material consists of coarse hairs and a soft undercoat. For the manufacture of bedding, both stiffer wool is used (as a rule, sheared from adult animals), and softer with a large admixture of fluff (it is collected from non-working camels). Wool arrives at the enterprise in compressed bales, having previously passed the cleaning and disinfection process.

Raw materials come with an accompanyingand documents - a veterinary certificate confirming the quality of raw materials. Before starting work at the enterprise, wool undergoes an incoming inspection, after which the raw materials are mixed, combed and subsequently a layer is made, which is rolled into a roller. The density of the finished bed is periodically checked.

In production, for the manufacture of camel wool blankets, the fabric is used - teak (100% cotton). The fabric comes in rolls, with an accompanyingand documents - quality certificate. Before starting work, the fabric is checked for compliance with the density (140-145g / m2), for defects and defects. After checking, the fabric goes into production.

For the production of classic blankets, the fabric is taken to work in the cutting shop. Blanket covers are cut from it. Then the cut goes to the sewing workshop. Here are qualifiedThe seamstresses assemble a semi-finished product from the parts, which is subsequently transferred to the printing and stitching workshop. At the next stage, the cover is stuffed with raw materials (a finished layer of appropriate density), evenly distributing over the entire area.

The hole for stuffing is sewn up and transferred to the quilting machine, where the blanket is semi-finishedThe kat is fixed in the hoop and the equipment is started, on which the quilt is stitched (the filler is combined with the upper and lower layers of fabric) in a given pattern. After stitching, the quality of the blanket is checked and sent to packaging.

For the manufacture of lightweight blankets, the fabric is wound on bobbins, which are subsequently installed on a multi-needle quilting machine and, passing a filler (of a certain density) between two canvases, form a quilted double-sided fabric.

At the next stage, this canvas is cut to size and edged on special. machines "SEIKO" and "Durkopp Adler". Then the blanket is checked for quality and packaged. The packaging is also produced by our company.

Human sleep is such a mysterious and unexplored phenomenon that for many scientists it becomes a matter of a lifetime, about which they write treatises, conduct long scientific disputes, and hold symposia. If you do not talk about some individual characteristics of the body, then any insignificant detail can disturb sleep, for example, an uncomfortable bed, a light that has remained on, lumps on a sheet or blanket, and also much more that can poison existence.

Choosing a way to solve the problem

If there are any serious sleep disturbances, then it is necessary to contact a professional. And when the problem lies on the surface, you can try to solve it yourself. Many succeed in this. First you need to analyze in what state you go to bed every day.

Even if you are just a little nervous, you can become a hostage to your fears and worries, because of which the dream will definitely be disturbed. The next morning you will find a terrible headache which can also affect your appearance. On the part of relatives and colleagues, questions related to your circles under the eyes may appear.

Your bed plays an important role in good, deep sleep. Everything should be such that you can feel like a master in your bedroom, not a slave acting in favor of fashion trends. Everyone knows that nothing is more pleasant and more comfortable than a duvet and blanket.

They keep warm excellently, which is good in winter, when it is cold around and warm in the bed. In addition, they are so comfortable and enjoyable that it would be simply a crime to part with them. The production of down pillows and blankets is still quite a popular business today.

Exists different kinds blankets, you need to choose a specific one to start its production. The main difference between these products is the filler, on which the convenience of use and the resulting heat depend. Each consumer chooses for himself the kind of blanket that suits him the most, and you, as a manufacturer, need to navigate the modern needs of buyers in order to start making a product.

Duvet blanked

This type is the warmest and lightest, because down is a natural filler. The duvet has very good thermoregulation, so it is not hot under it in summer, and warm in winter. Despite the fact that the fluff is treated with antiallergenic impregnations, people suffering from severe allergies should refrain from such an acquisition. Making down duvets is the most difficult process.

Blanket

If you choose the production of such products, then you should know that they are characterized by almost all the advantages of down, but they are heavier. However, this point depends on the preference of the consumer. And the lanolin content in wool blankets makes them healthy.

Cotton blanket

The advantage of such products is their low price, hypoallergenicity and good warming properties. The disadvantages can be considered a tendency to absorb odors, reduced durability. However, many consumers choose just such products for themselves, so it makes sense to produce them.

Synthetic blanket

Now on the market there are a lot of fillers of synthetic origin, but their properties are not very different. Polyester has become the most popular filler at the moment. Blankets made of it are unpretentious to use, they can be machine washed, they are warm enough and do not tend to absorb odors. Due to poor thermoregulation, such blankets can become a real punishment for the consumer, since when it is cold or hot in the house, it will be uncomfortable underneath.

Basic moments

Of course, you can start your own business in the production of products stuffed with down, but at the moment there are alternatives such as synthetic winterizer and holofiber. These are very simple and fairly cheap bedding fillers. Making pillows and blankets using these fillers can be very profitable. Gradually, you will be able to receive tangible income.

So, if you decide to start the production of pillows and blankets, then you should first formalize the legal side of the issue. Only having received permission to organize entrepreneurial activity, you can count on peace of mind. After that, you can open and equip your workshop without fear of receiving any fines.

What is necessary?

To open a workshop, where the production of blankets and pillows will be carried out, a room with an area of ​​one hundred twenty - one hundred thirty square meters will be required. It should have good electrical wiring, as well as a place to store raw materials. The current rules prescribe the mandatory presence of a bathroom and a washbasin.

You can start the production of blankets and pillows if you have technical specifications registered in the department of state standardization. You can compose them yourself based on the acceptable specifications.

Cushions

Blankets are meant to just keep you warm. There is a more important attribute for sleep. Making pillows is a very important activity, as it is this attribute that can turn relaxation into pleasure or torture. They can be filled with the same materials as for blankets. Consumer preferences in this case are also very different. Some people buy small pillows on which only the head fits, and for some it is important that the pillow is huge and warm. If your business is making pillows, then hotels and hotels can serve as points of sale in this case. The main thing is to find an approach to the management of these institutions.

As part of the rolling research of Roskachestvo, the parameters of the quality and safety of products of 27 brands of pillows were studied. These are products under the trademarks AlViTek, Asabella, Belashoff, Comfort Line, Dream Time, Dargez, Ecotex, German Grass, Green Line, IKEA, Kariguz, Mona Liza, Nature's, Ol-Tex, Primavelle, Sortex, Togas House of Textiles , Verossa, A "Elite, Horizon, Every day, Light dreams, Lazybones, Pillow, Pierrot, Samson, TekStil. The study involved pillows, most popular among Russians, with and without covers, filled with synthetic fibers, as well as mixtures of such fibers with artificial fibers. Pillows of all price categories, produced both in Russia and abroad, were tested. The cost of the products that participated in the test is from 150 to 4,000 rubles at the time of purchase. But what are the best pillows to buy?

Russian quality system standard

The Roskachestvo standard, in comparison with the current GOST, has tightening in terms of the parameters of the linear dimensions of the product, the content of free formaldehyde and the resistance of the paint to various influences. In addition, additional quality indicators were included in the Roskachestvo standard, according to which the samples presented in the rolling study were evaluated. Such indicators are: specific surface electrical resistance and a change in linear dimensions after wet processing of the upper fabric, the absence of a noticeable smell of the product.

The required level of localization of production for the awarding of the Russian Quality Mark to a product is at least 45% of the cost of the product.

Neutral, acidic or alkaline?

The well-known pH value from advertising characterizes acidity or alkalinity. aqueous solution... A pH level of 5.0 to 7.5 is considered safe for human skin. With a deviation to the big side, we can talk about increased content in an alkali solution, to a lesser extent - acids. The pH level for bedding has not been standardized by the current standards in Russia until recently. The Roskachestvo standard puts forward such requirements for pillows for the first time, since these products regularly and for a long time (on average, sleep lasts 7-8 hours) are in contact with the delicate skin of the face. In order to establish the pH level in the fabrics of the upper of the garment, experts in the laboratories obtained an aqueous extract from each sample. As a result of the research, a deviation of pH from the requirements of the increased Roskachestvo standard was revealed in six products. In each of the identified cases, the pH value exceeded 7.5 units, which indicated an increased alkalinity of aqueous extracts of the investigated products.

One product was found to be non-compliant with leading standards. It's about pillows brand Dargez in which was identified elevated level pH. Despite the fact that this indicator is not standardized by law in any way, it is provided for by the Roskachestvo standard.

During laboratory tests in each of the samples were also determined: the index of toxicity of materials, indicators of color fastness to various influences, odor intensity and the presence of free formaldehyde in tissues. According to the results of the study, the indicated parameters in all samples were within the normal range.

Smoking is harmful

"Smoking in bed is the cause of fire." This simple rule in Russia is included in any brochure on fire safety. At the same time, the fire resistance of bedding is not standardized in any way by the standards in force in the country. Roskachestvo, also for the first time in Russia, introduced such a requirement in its own standard. The study of the flammability ability of products was carried out in the framework of the so-called "cigarette test". During this test, a lighted cigarette was placed on a pillow for 7 seconds. If during this time the fabric did not ignite, the test was considered passed. Almost all pillows in the study were successful in this test. Only one sample, produced in China, did not pass the "fire" test. The pillow caught fire quickly enough to obtain the status of a product "related to highly flammable", which means that it did not meet the increased standard of Roskachestvo.

Sleep hygiene

The hygroscopicity indicator is responsible for the microclimate of sleep; it determines the ability of products to absorb moisture. In the case of pillows, low values ​​for this parameter will lead to the fact that a person will wake up with a wet or damp head, which is unpleasant, unhygienic and even unsafe for health. The index of hygroscopicity of the fabrics of the top for pillows, as well as for fabrics of the top of blankets, was toughened by Roskachestvo by one and a half times. Most of the samples presented, with the exception of one product, met these increased requirements. But according to the results of independent laboratory tests, experts named goods under trade marks as unsafe products, whose indicators are below not only the Roskachestvo standard, but also the mandatory indicators of technical regulations. Pillow, Pierrot, Every day.

Effective area

The dimensions of the pillows and the aspect ratio are not regulated in any way by the current technical regulations. That is, the manufacturer can produce pillows of any size under one condition: information on the linear dimensions of the product on the labeling of such products must be reliable. Otherwise, consumers will have trouble “packing” a pillow into a pillowcase. Moreover, these difficulties can arise even when the actual size of the product differs from the declared one by only 1–2 centimeters. The dimensions of their products were incorrectly indicated by the manufacturers of the following products: AlViTek, Belashoff, Comfort Line, Ecotex, Ol-Tex, Pilushkino, Pierrot, Every day, IKEA. In some cases, the deviation on one of the sides was 3 centimeters. Obviously, with such a discrepancy, the pillow will freely "walk" in the pillowcase or will not fit into it, which is unlikely to be liked by consumers. All discovered facts of non-compliance with the declared sizes are regarded as a violation of consumers' rights to reliable product labeling.

AFTER REPEATED RESEARCH

Pillows of the AlViTek Belashoff and IKEA brands, the actual dimensions of which, according to the results of the previous study, differed from those indicated in the marking, now correspond to the declared dimensions.

100% natural lie

Today pillows are filled with various natural, artificial and synthetic materials. People sleep on products "stuffed" with latex, buckwheat husks, medicinal herbs, hay and even algae. Recall that pillows filled with synthetic fibers took part in the research of Roskachestvo - this is the most popular category of products among Russians. It has many advantages: for example, such pillows are hypoallergenic and relatively cheap. It is worth noting that recently consumers are increasingly paying attention to products that are sold in covers - it is more convenient to wash them. These covers, in turn, just like pillows, have their own filling and upper fabric. According to the laws in force in Russia, the manufacturer must accurately indicate the composition of all "components" of the product. As a result, the difference from the real composition was found in the goods of the following brands: Comfort Line, Ecotex, Green Line, Horizon, TekStil, A "Elite, Sortex, Verossa, Samson. Some of these manufacturers have proven to be particularly resourceful. So, sample packaging under the trademark Green line She "promised" that the filler of the cover will consist of 90% natural fibers, in fact, it consisted of 100% polyester fibers. Also from 100% polyester fibers was made to fill the Horizon pillow, declared as "made from 100% wool". Manufacturer Sortex By labeling his product he reported that the filler of the cover was made of 50% cotton. Reality is 100% polyester fiber. All the indicated facts can be considered as a violation of consumers' rights to reliable labeling. Information about each detected case of falsification was sent to the relevant control authorities.

AFTER REPEATED RESEARCH

Ecotex pillows, which previously had a discrepancy in the marking not only in the declared dimensions, but also in the raw material composition of the textile materials included in the pillow, have also been corrected.

The overwhelming majority of the items studied had the so-called "fantasy names". The products were called "Linen", "Linen and Cotton", "With sheep's wool", "Merino" (sheep breed), etc. As a rule, "prints" (photo collages and drawings) on such pillows were used with corresponding images and images of plants or animals. In fact, all the samples presented in the study were filled with polyester fibers, which have nothing to do with wool or flax. Roskachestvo recommends that buyers carefully study the information on the composition of the product and pay less attention to bright packaging. Although sometimes even the specified composition does not guarantee that the product will actually be made from the "promised" materials.

Bulky pillows and thick woolen blankets are gradually losing their popularity. Traditional natural materials, which have certain disadvantages, have given way to more modern raw materials, as well as cheap synthetic fillers that have big amount benefits. As a result, the process of making bedding was greatly simplified and automated, which made it possible to reduce the costs of organizing our own production.

The textile business in our country is a profitable investment. Bed linen has always been in high demand. Blankets and pillows are purchased by all people, regardless of their financial situation. These products, unlike other textiles, do not depend on fashion trends, which allows you to avoid unnecessary costs for attracting designers to its development. The main changes can only concern the filler of bedding, which does not require the modernization of production equipment. According to research data, the textile industry produces about 40% of the total volume of industrial products.

To create a sewing production for the production of bedding, you will need a room with an area of ​​about 100-150 sq. meters. Keep in mind that blankets and pillows are a fairly large, albeit light, product, so in addition to the workshop, you will need separate premises for warehouses for finished products and consumables.

Of all the bedding sets, duvets are the hardest to produce. As a rule, blankets are purchased for a long time, so consumers have strict requirements for their quality. A wide selection of blankets is presented on the Russian market, which differ in season (lightweight summer blankets, demi-season blankets for autumn and spring, warmed winter blankets), density, sizes (for children, one-and-a-half, double blankets), filler. The sizes of blankets may vary depending on what standards are adopted in a particular country.

For example, in our country there are double quilts of the following sizes: euro (200 x 220 cm), which is most widespread throughout the world, "English" or "Soviet" size (175 x 205 cm), which is very popular in our country, euro-maxi or king - size (220 х240 cm). Slightly less common are double blankets measuring 180 x 210 cm.In Germany and Italy, for example, the most common are square blankets measuring 200 x 200 cm. Standard sizes one-and-a-half blankets - 143 x 215 cm and 150 x 200 cm.Children's blankets are produced in sizes 110 x140 cm, and blankets for newborns are 120x120 cm in size. In addition, you can find models of non-traditional shapes and sizes on sale - round, oval of various diameters. But in most cases they are made to order, as they are only suitable for certain beds.

The blanket manufacturer's assortment should include models for different seasons. For example, summer blankets are the lightest. Demi-season a little warmer. They are used in spring and autumn time of the year. Winter blankets are considered the warmest. Often, such models are labeled, depending on their heating properties. For example, one dot might represent lightweight blankets for warmer seasons and five dots for colder seasons. The warming qualities of a product depend on the density and type of material from which it is made. And the latter determines the price of the product.

There are the following types of blankets: blankets with open wool (made of dressed skins, winter and summer woolen blankets and blankets), blankets with filling (cashmere, camel, merino, silk, double silk, fur and lyo-purpose), synthetic blankets (polyester, polyester, acrylic).

The most common in our country are blankets with fillers. And the most expensive among them are cashmere products, which are made from a rare natural material collected by hand. The cashmere fabric is pleasant to the touch, perfectly retains heat, does not cause allergies and is practical to use. In second place are "closed" blankets with camel hair. This raw material consists of coarse hairs and a soft undercoat. For the manufacture of bedding, both harder wool is used (as a rule, sheared from adult animals), and softer with a large admixture of fluff (it is collected from non-working camels, and it costs much more than coarse wool). The camel hair is first combed and then quilted with the top and bottom layers of the fabric. And in fact, and in another case, the creation of one blanket requires a lot of wool, which determines its high cost. The advantages of such products are their good warming qualities. Merino lambswool blankets are just as warm and slightly less light, and they cost less than camel wool blankets.

The technology of thermal bonding of wool is often used in the production of woolen blankets. The raw material is coarser wool, which is cheaper than down. It is mixed with synthetic bristles. Then the resulting formation is driven between two heated shafts. Under the influence of high temperature, the synthetic material melts and reliably "glues" the woolen fibers, turning the base into a woolen layer. Some manufacturers save on natural wool and produce heat-bonded blankets, which are mostly made of synthetics.

Down duvets are made from natural white or gray goose down, eon or duck down. The most stringent requirements are imposed on products made of down. They must fully comply with Russian GOST. For the production of down bedding, the raw materials are collected first. White geese down is more prized as these birds live in colder regions and have thicker plumage.

For the production of products of a high price category, pure goose down of vivo plucking without admixture of small feathers is used. After the raw materials have been collected, they are sorted by fluff content, and sometimes by color, and refined. In the process of preliminary cleaning, hard flight feathers and remnants of a fender liner, crushed feathers and feathers without an awn are removed from the raw materials.

The sorted nib is washed, treated with an antistatic agent and disinfected in a special solution. It includes a feather wash shampoo that removes grease and prevents feather felting. Then they are rinsed, squeezed in a centrifuge and dried in a damper at a temperature of about 90 degrees Celsius. This is necessary in order to remove all living organisms from the plumage of birds, pathogenic viruses and bacteria. This stage is carried out extremely quickly, since the pen does not withstand prolonged exposure to high temperatures and may deteriorate. Immediately from the cooling chamber, the feathers are sent to sorting, where they are divided into fractions. On modern production this process is automated.

Then a batch of raw materials undergoes laboratory technical control, as a result of which the quality of the filler is checked. The proportions in which it is mixed are determined by the requirements of GOST. After sorting, the finished mixture, tested by specialists, goes to the stuffing shop for filling into bags. Small manufacturing companies prefer to buy ready-made mixtures from suppliers, do not carry out laboratory quality control of the packing of their products, save money on rent by renting a room with a smaller area.

The duvet cover is made from natural strong fabrics that are breathable and absorbent. On the other hand, they prevent fluff from coming out of the cover. Most often, such covers are sewn from satin, knitwear, cotton with the addition of lyocell, cambric, silk or jacquard using a special stitching with an inner piping, which prevents the fluff from penetrating outward. After filling the covers, the almost finished blanket is sent to the sewing industry.

According to the method of sewing, the following types of blankets are distinguished, which do not depend on the type of filler: cassette, quilted and carostep. The most reliable are considered to be cassette-type blankets, which, as mentioned above, are sewn in separate sections (cassettes). Each cassette with filler is isolated from the rest, which allows you to hold the "content", not allowing it to lose shape or stray into lumps inside the case. At first glance, a carostep trim looks like a pattern or decorative pattern on the surface of a blanket, which is why it is also often called a patterned stitch.

The main disadvantage of this sewing method is that the filler can come out through the holes that remain on the fabric after the needles. The quilt is sewn with a stitch on special machines, which prevents it from knocking down to the corners. There are two main ways of quilting - squares and parallel stitches. A quilt quilted in the form of squares is considered to be of better quality and more durable than a product sewn with parallel stitches. At the last stage, the blankets are packed in dense polyethylene bags, where labels are also placed, and sent to the warehouse.

Such natural and environmentally friendly filler like bamboo or eucalyptus fiber. These materials are highly breathable, absorb moisture, hypoallergenic, do not collect dust, have antistatic and antibacterial properties and increased wear resistance. Of course, bamboo fiber (like eucalyptus) is not harvested from the plant in its pure form.

First, a soft core is removed from the stem, which is successively treated with steam and pressure, resulting in cellulose. For production, only untreated bamboo is used not older than 3-4 years. The resulting cellulose is processed into yarn, from which bamboo cloth is woven. For sewing covers of inexpensive blankets, including those with bamboo filler, teak is used - a dense fabric of a plain weave type, which does not allow the filler to migrate outward. In more expensive types of blankets, satin is more often used - a fabric with diagonal threads and less often other, more exotic types of fabrics (for example, from the same bamboo fiber).

Another natural material that is used to fill pillows and blankets is silk. It is possible to list its advantages for a long time, including hypoallergenicity, resistance to creasing, the ability to prevent the formation of fungus, the reproduction of pathogenic microbes and dust mites, etc. The only drawback of silk as a filler is its high price. As a rule, two types of silk fibers (silk) are used for bedding - mulberry and tussa. Strictly speaking, only Mulberry variety can be called real mulberry silk. This silk has three quality classes A, B and C. The best material is considered to be class A, which is also called long-staple mulberry silk.

Sometimes, as a filler, the silk of the wild silkworm, which lives in natural conditions, is used. This kind of silk is called tussah. The cocoons of this silkworm are reddish-brown in color and require bleaching, as a result of which the structure of the silk is disrupted and its best qualities are lost.

Quality silk blankets are made by hand. First, small blanks made of silk are stretched to the desired size, and then layers of fabric are laid on them cross-to-cross. A Euro-maxi summer blanket weighing 1200 grams takes about 50 layers of silk. Long-staple, evenly laid silk forms a uniform, strong mass that is sewn onto the duvet cover. Silk quilts are cheaper because they are usually filled with Tussa silk and are not sewn by hand, but with the help of machines.

Synthetic blankets, unlike woolen and down products, are hypoallergenic, durable, lightweight and compact. They are made from cheap materials, which results in their low retail cost. But there are also disadvantages. The synthetic winterizer, which is often used as a filler for blankets, does not fall off and does not form lumps. However, this material is practically non-hygroscopic and poorly breathable. The body does not "breathe" under such a blanket, and it is possible to sleep under it only in very cold rooms. New generation polyester material (holofiber, komfortl) is more expensive than padding polyester, but supports well temperature regime allowing air to pass through and not accumulating dust.

One of the main specialists in the production of such products is a technologist. The process of making high-quality pillows and blankets has many nuances, and it is very difficult to find masters of their craft. Therefore, most companies abandon the idea of ​​organizing a full production cycle, purchasing ready-made raw materials on the side. They themselves only sew covers for products, fill them and pack them.

For the production of bedding you will need special equipment... You may need cutting tables or machines, edging equipment, a work table for bedding blankets, a trimming machine, for finishing edges, for rewinding fabric at a 45 degree angle, quilting machines with program management for blankets, machines for converting polyester fiber into filler for pillows and blankets, dispensers for the production of down blankets, germicidal installations for down and feather pillows, sorting machines for the production of down, dispenser for filling down blankets, a line for the production of a blanket layer, packaging machines and etc.

The exact list of equipment you need depends on the types of products you will be producing. Both new and used equipment can be purchased. The minimum set for the production of items of 2-3 types will cost 1 million rubles. Sewing equipment for making bedding is produced in Russia, China and Europe.

In addition, there is an opportunity to purchase a ready-made tailoring business. For example, the production of mattresses, pillows and bed linen with a promised monthly profit of 300 thousand rubles and an average monthly turnover of 3 million rubles with a total of 20 employees is offered for sale at a price of about 10 million rubles. In such a production line, lines for the production of blankets, pillows, mattresses, cutting equipment, sewing machines and overlocks are installed. The leased area for such a workshop is about 350 sq. meters at a rental cost of 40 thousand rubles per month, plus monthly utility bills in the amount of 10 thousand rubles. Fund wages for a staff of 20 people is 150 thousand rubles a month. The production of only bedding (without mattresses) will cost 1.5-2 million less. However, with such production volumes, it is recommended to produce not only blankets and pillows, but also to sew bed linen, including sheets, pillowcases, duvet covers, mattress covers, etc. In this case, the payback period for production with a high profitability of up to 50% is about three years.

Lily Sysoeva
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The post was changed:

Industrial and bespoke pillow manufacturing as profitable business

A person spends a third of his life in a dream, from 7 to 10 hours daily. Let this order of numbers not surprise: the Japanese sleep 3 hours less than the Argentines. Each country has a characteristic sleep duration, depending on genes, age, health status. Well-being throughout the day, productivity is influenced by convenience sleeping place more precisely - three components: a mattress, a blanket and a pillow. Convenient, pleasant-to-use products relieve accumulated stress and contribute to the accumulation of vigor for the rest of the day. On the contrary, low-quality goods do not allow the body to relax, relieve fatigue, and stock up on the forces necessary for comfortable functioning. The production of pillows is a business, the demand for which is clear without a preliminary analysis of the market.

Business brief analysis:
Business setup costs:95-100 thousand dollars
Relevant for cities with population:from 500 thousand people
Industry situation:high competition
The complexity of organizing a business: 3/5
Payback: 6 - 7 months

Business relevance

The planet is home to 7.7 billion people. Two categories of residents do not use a pillow - the poorest strata and people who prefer to sleep without a pillow for ideological reasons. There are 6% of such in the world, therefore, the demand of the world market for pillows is 7.2 billion units. Despite the opinion of doctors who recommend changing the pillow every 6 months, the real lifespan of this element of bed comfort is 3-3.5 years. It is easy to calculate that at least 2.0 billion pillows are thrown away and purchased annually. The numbers do not pretend to be final, the goal is to understand the capacity and market prospects.

There are many types of pillow fillers, traditional natural or synthetic materials are used in each country:

Filler type	Specifications
Downy, down-feather	Usage natural materials, relatively high price, low durability, allergenicity, hygroscopicity of the filler. Distinctive feature- the dominance of microfauna: fungi, mites.
Wool	Softness, springy properties. Low durability, natural wool is loved by microorganisms.
Silk	Long-lasting material, pleasant to use. Products made from silkworm cocoons have a high price, the appearance of microorganisms is characteristic.
Vegetable (buckwheat husk, rice hull, hop cone)	Inexpensive tough product with a specific odor. The filler emits characteristic sounds, more often this is a flaw. Microorganisms love husks as much as other natural ingredients.
Bamboo	Young bamboo shoot fibers are an inexpensive, pleasant storage. Low product life: microfauna populates faster than other materials.
Latex	The product made from Hevea resin is the most expensive of the presented ones. Characterized by durability, natural latex pillows last about 20 years.
Cotton wool	A cheap, low-quality product characterized by a low lifespan due to cotton wool churning.
Polyester	A soft, hypoallergenic drive with a low price, washable, unlike natural materials. In summer, it is hot on such a pillow, the durability of the product is relatively small.
Holofiber (komerel, elball, synthetic fluff, fillfiber, hollophile)	The most technologically advanced product in the form of silicone-treated synthetic beads. Superior polyester, in other words.
Sintepon	Lower price, worse quality compared to polyester. The manufacturers speculate on the quality of the padding polyester: the composition of the filler cannot be checked without opening the product.

Marketers work out bread, so there are products with additives in herbal fillers or aromatic components. Beneficial features such additives do not change in any way, but they increase the price and the aesthetic appeal of the product.

For the buyer, in addition to the filler, the cover is important - the outer shell of the product. Excluding exotic materials, which include percale, cambric, teak, microfiber and cotton covers have become widespread.

Cover material	Peculiarities
Calico	Common material made from natural or artificial fabric, practical, durable.
Viscose	Artificial fiber made from natural cellulose with good hygienic properties. Easily wrinkled, impractical without additional processing.
Microfiber	Polymer fabric made of polyester, polyamide fibers. It is popular due to its consumer properties: it does not fade, does not roll, and dries quickly.
Jersey	Artificial or natural canvas, characterized by elasticity, extensibility, softness.
Cotton	A cheap natural fiber that is hygienic but impractical, it quickly becomes unusable with regular use.
Polyester	Durable, durable polyester fiber fabric. Lightweight material that is resistant to impact, antistatic. The disadvantage is poor air permeability.
Satin	Heavyweight silk or cotton fiber fabric. Quite expensive hypoallergenic material of high strength, wear resistance.

Finally, the last characteristic of a pillow is the physical size and shape of the pillow. Traditionally, four standard sizes are produced: 50x50, 60x60, 50x70, 70x70 cm. Non-standard products are produced, for example, 68x68 or 45x45, but at the beginning of your activity you should not pay attention to them. A characteristic feature: square, rectangular products with dimensions of 60x60, 50x70 cm are popular, small and large products are purchased for children and the elderly, respectively. The height of the pillow is from 6 to 16 cm with a predominance of products with a height of 10-14 cm in the sales structure. Such features are taken into account when planning production.

There are also products of non-standard models on the market - in the form of rollers, with recesses for the shape of the head. Orthopedic pillows- a separate segment with characteristic consumer qualities.

From a technological point of view, the business is not complicated: an organization requires a small start-up capital, simple equipment, often operated by one person. The search for raw materials, cladding materials is also not difficult. The business of manufacturing pillows is comfortable for individual entrepreneurs, large companies with a large volume of working capital. The result of the case depends more on entrepreneurial skills, product quality, and sales skills.

Business organization

To get down to business should be with a superficial analysis of the market in the region. The Internet will cope with this task without the involvement of third-party resources. The request will provide information on regional markets, manufacturers, fillers, prices. In the same way, the content of the segments with competitors is analyzed, the distinctive properties of the presented goods are determined.

It is necessary to understand what kind of filler is in demand by consumers. The production of bamboo pillows is hardly a good idea, since the buyer associates with something hard, wooden. These are not the properties that a soft commodity for comfort is endowed with in the understanding of the consumer. Holofiber and analogues are an option for starting. The material is inexpensive, popular, and is sold everywhere.

The same approach to the choice of the cover material: despite the higher cost, microfiber has a number of advantages over cotton fabric. Plus, a synthetic-filled pillow in a natural case is a bad idea. Microfibre is also widely available on the market, finding a supplier will not take much time.

Depending on the volume of working capital, production begins both with the most common standard sizes, 60x60 and 50x70, and fully covers possible niches. Pillowcases have the same physical dimensions, so there is no need to come up with proportions on your own - such a product is simply not necessary for the consumer.

Attention should be paid to the parameters with which the products will be implemented. These include distribution channels for finished products, the distinctive properties of the product. For small-scale production, an online store on the company's website is enough. With medium and large volumes, partnerships with furniture and construction chain stores are required.

The distinctive properties of the pillow are understood as the qualities aimed at identifying the product. The buyer distinguishes the product by the presence of the original name, brand, external properties or unique quality that has no analogues. Endowing a product with this quality is the prerogative of marketers. The brand logo on each product, original packaging, distinctive names for each type of product - the imagination is limitless here.

Workshop premises

The planned volume of production is a criterion on which the stages depend, starting with the selection of areas, ending with the distribution channels of goods. A medium-sized business requires a production workshop with an area of ​​25-30 square meters, storage areas that are twice the production area. The reason is the bulk of the finished product. If resources permit, there is a need to organize the storage of raw materials, the warehouse area will be 65% of the size of the storage of goods ready for delivery.

Raw materials and finished products have an increased fire hazard, therefore the areas are equipped with automatic systems. fire alarm, fire extinguishing. There are no other strict criteria for equipping production areas. The fillers are highly hygroscopic: it is important that the moisture level is controlled.

Increased moisture content leads to excess absorption of water contained in the air, a subsequent deterioration in the quality of raw materials and products. Of course, production requires sanitary facilities.

Raw material supply channels

Two main types of raw materials are used in the production of pillows - holofiber, microfiber. The filler is supplied in polyethylene bags weighing 7, 10 kg, other weight packing, rolls. Microfiber is purchased in rolls 150-220 cm wide. Patterns, fabric textures are selected immediately before purchasing the material. The incoming raw materials are checked for quality with the signing of the acceptance certificate of the goods.

The choice of areas for business is not geographically tied: the business is organized in locality with a population of 150 thousand people, focusing only on the market of such a city. Searching for suppliers does not take much time and effort: there is a sufficient number of raw material suppliers in the domestic market to meet the demand of even a large business. If economically feasible, the markets of neighboring states - the countries of Central Asia, China are of interest.

Production technology

The business of manufacturing pillows is undemanding to the availability of experience, education, therefore, it is available to almost everyone. Maintenance of equipment, from the stage of loading raw materials to sending finished products to the warehouse, is within the power of one person. Perhaps for this reason, many entrepreneurs are engaged in the manufacture of pillows and blankets, large companies... From a technological point of view, the production process is as follows:

1. Raw materials are supplied to the manufacturer's warehouse - microfiber, untreated holofiber.
2. Further, the process is divided into two stages: the fabric is cut into the necessary size covers, quilted along the contour, and the microfiber goes through the sweeping, molding, and blowing.
3. Holofiber balls are blown into the cover, quilted, as a result of which the product acquires a presentation.
4. The pillow is placed in a pre-prepared pocket - more often it is a polyethylene vacuum package.
5. Sealed packages are marked, stored or transported directly to the recipient, bypassing the storage stage.

Necessary equipment

When choosing equipment, it is taken into account that most of the used lines offered on the domestic market are outdated physically and morally. For this reason, it is better to pay attention to equipment offered in nearby countries or imported by intermediary companies.

Complex lines with a productivity of 100-120 kg of finished products per hour or about 17,000 units per month are popular. The cost of a line of equipment of the minimum required configuration is $ 40,000. There is a lot of new and used equipment on the market at prices ranging from several thousand dollars to several hundred thousand. A typical set of equipment for the manufacture of a pillow from holofiber balls includes the following components:

• bale opener- installation designed for opening bales with raw materials, subsequent fiber leveling.
• Carding machine carries out carding of fibers - alignment, giving volume, elimination of impurities.
• Ball molding machine forms balls from homogeneous raw materials.
• Fan blows the finished synthetic balls, thus eliminating fibers that are not included in the structure of the balls. These fibers are re-formed.
• V storage hopper the balls are ready for use.
• Vacuum double chamber pump collects material from the hopper for the production of a unit of production, fills the case with balls.
• Quilting machine processes the contours of the fabric in the manufacture of the cover, quilts the open contour after filling.
• Cutting complex cuts fabric material according to specified dimensions, makes a cover frame for subsequent filling with filler.
• Vacuum packing machine places finished products in vacuum polyethylene or polypropylene packaging.

Business registration

No harmful or hazardous substances are used in the production process, the finished product does not contain any impurities required for production licensing. The only property of the materials used in the manufacture of the pillow is fire hazard. Inspection of areas, obtaining permission from the fire control authorities are necessary. The preparatory stage of production is extremely simple and includes the following stages:

• legal registration - the creation of an individual or legal entity with the chosen form of taxation.
• Development of technical conditions finished products. The basis is the current GOST R 55857-2013 "Quilted blankets and bedspreads. Pillows ".
• Rent of space equipped with the necessary communications. Additional equipment according to existing standards, requirements of supervisory authorities.
• Preparation of internal safety rules that are familiarized to the worker with access to the equipment.
• Obtaining a certificate of conformity. The production of pillows is not subject to compulsory certification, but the Voluntary Certificate of Conformity will help in distribution, increasing the added value of the product, such a certificate is cheap.

Marketing and distribution channels

The ability to sell a competitive product is probably the most difficult, but also the most interesting stage of business. In a village or a large city, pillows are sold within a kilometer radius. Therefore, it is necessary to solve the problem: how to interest the buyer, with the help of what properties to select the product from the list of similar ones.

Without knowledge of the market, understanding the needs of consumers, and an established business reputation, trying your hand at segments other than consumer products is a hopeless undertaking in advance. Therefore, the manufacturer will have to start selling on a low-margin market, while producing a recognizable high-quality product.

To begin with, a company's information website with the obligatory presence of an online sales module will be an excellent means of increasing recognition, acquainting with the properties of goods. The path to wholesale buyers or chain stores begins with one-time purchases. The site contains a detailed description of each type of pillows, features attractive to the buyer are highlighted. A troublesome occupation, but capable of quickly forming a manufacturer's image and brand memorability. Related methods of advertising on the Internet - social networks, banner advertising platforms.

The second step is to enter regional construction, furniture stores, markets on terms of product placement until the moment of sale. The sales volumes will correct production shortcomings, and will allow for a better production plan. Having secured the recommendations of retail chains, the exit and conclusion of long-term contracts with chain stores, wholesale buyers are carried out.

At this point, it is already known which products are more interesting to the consumer, their sizes, shape. A separate possible source of sales of products is the manufacture of pillows to order for the needs of the army, preschool institutions, medical centers.

And only after the local market has settled down, expansion into other regions is carried out, expansion of the brand's presence in other price segments. New niches should be conquered through the design of the product shell and packaging. By default, it is assumed that high quality raw materials are used in the manufacture of the pillow filler and cover. The form of packaging is capable of transferring products to a high price segment, multiplying brand awareness. There are various packaging options:

• suitcases of various shapes, sizes;
• cardboard boxes provided with instructions describing the quality of the product;
• plastic tubes in which tools are subsequently stored in the garage;
• handbags made of durable materials used in everyday life.

Designing packaging options is a wild field for marketers that has no mental or physical boundaries.

Costs and return on business

For the production of one pillow with a size of 60x60 cm, 700 grams of filler and 100 grams of fabric for sewing a cover are required. With average prices for holofiber and microfiber, respectively, $ 2 and $ 9 per kilogram, the unit cost is close to $ 2.3. The minimum retail price for a holofiber pillow is $ 4, Wholesale price unit of production is $ 3.2. Production with a capacity of 100 units per hour or 16.800 units per month with a one-shift schedule will bring a balance sheet profit: 16.800 * (3.2-2.3) = $ 15120.

The profitability of production in this case before taxes will be: 15.120 / (16.800 * 2.3) = 39.13%. With a two- or three-shift operation, profitability will increase commensurately. For objectivity, two factors are noted:

1. Sewing covers is associated with waste, accounting for 6-8% of the cost of the purchased microfiber. Waste is disposed of, thus returning 30-40% of the spent funds.
2. Packaging of finished products is another item of production costs. Plastic wrap will increase the unit cost by $ 0.1. When calculating profitability, this point was deliberately omitted due to the fact that such packaging is not able to distinguish the product from a number of competitors. Search, introduction of new types is necessary: ​​the buyer meets the goods by packaging.

When planning activities, the manufacturer will face operating costs, the lion's share of which will be the purchase of raw materials and, one-time, equipment. When calculating the payback of a business, it is necessary to take into account cost items:

• purchase of equipment: $ 40,000;
• purchase of raw materials, consumables, monthly supply: $ 38.640;
• utility bills: $ 1,000;
• Salaries: $ 2,000
• permits: $ 3,000;
• insurance fund, working capital: $ 13,000.

The required start-up capital will thus be slightly less than $ 100,000. With a book profit of $ 15,120 excluding taxes, the business will pay off within 7 months. The selected form of taxation will correct this value.

Weighing the pros and cons, the conclusion suggests itself: the production of pillows is a great idea, regardless of income or financial crises. Sleep, like food intake, refers to the physiological needs of the body. A person is forced to spend a third of his life in interaction with a product that is pleasant to use, easy to manufacture. Purchasing a pillow is as necessary as purchasing bread or milk.