The refrigerator is a rather convenient thing, used not only for its intended purpose, but also as a reminder of very important matters. You just have to write on a small piece of paper what needs to be done in the near future and attach it to the device using simple magnets.
As soon as the appetite is worked up, a piece of paper with a reminder will involuntarily come into view. In this review, we decided to look in more detail at how refrigerator magnets are made. This business idea can become successful for entrepreneurs.
What is the reason for the popularity of magnets?
Perhaps this idea played a significant role in the appearance of decorative souvenirs. This happened back in 1971. Over the entire period of its existence, this product has undergone a fairly large number of changes. From factory conveyors, their production abruptly turned into small businesses with a fairly small initial contribution. And if earlier the production of magnets primarily required a press and an enameling device, then in the modern world it is quite easy to make a decorative product for a refrigerator with a computer and a printer at hand.
But it cannot be said that due to this transition the need for souvenirs has decreased, and the production of refrigerator magnets has become less promising. The thing is that the symbols of the era are constantly changing. This entails a demand for certain products in which new symbolic images will be embodied. Accordingly, old products will be thrown away or hidden, and new ones will take their place on the refrigerator door.
Souvenir magnets - how to make them and who to sell them to
It’s not difficult to make flat souvenir magnets; you just need to choose the right direction of activity so that there are no problems with the sale of products:
- There are a lot of holidays in the year when you want to please your loved ones and friends with some inexpensive souvenir: New Year, Christmas, Valentine's Day, Defender of the Fatherland Day, March 8, Easter, etc. Magnets with original wishes, heart magnets, calendar magnets, sets of magnets for the holidays - there are just a ton of different ideas!
- Sets of vinyl magnets for decorating wedding cars. Hearts with rings, swans, flowers, wishes of love and happiness, etc. - stylish accessories for a wedding, which can be played in a lottery at the celebration or simply given to guests.
- Magnetic games and/or magnetic puzzles. It’s a good idea to keep the child busy so that he doesn’t interfere while mom is preparing lunch or dinner, and at the same time he’s nearby.
- Educational magnets.
- Magnetic bookmarks for books. You can make entire thematic sets of bookmarks that will become an original gift for people who love to spend time reading.
- Magnetic boards on which you can leave messages to each other without fear that the recipient will not notice it.
- Advertising magnets. These products can be made for various companies to advertise their products. If you can come up with an original idea and develop a good design, you will not lack clients.
Magnet production technologies are constantly being simplified
The time when refrigerator magnets were made using magnetized metal is long gone. Modern equipment has made it possible to apply a very thin layer of ferromagnetic materials to almost any polymer product.
They are capable of maintaining magnetic induction for a fairly long period of time. The backing is usually vinyl. A special coating is applied to another part of this material, onto which a specific image is subsequently glued.
Master class 4. Magnets from plastic mini-toys
The most stylish magnets can be easily made from plastic toys, namely animal figurines.
Materials and tools:
- Scissors or sharp knife;
- Thermal glue in a gun;
- Paint and brush if necessary;
- Small magnets;
- Plastic animal figurines.
Instructions:
Cut the toy in half or lengthwise.
Pour hot glue into the inside of the resulting workpiece to the very edges and leave to dry.
When the glue has hardened, start painting the craft (including the “filling”) in 1-3 layers. At the end it can be additionally varnished.
Now just glue the magnet to the figure and enjoy the result!
Vinyl is not an expensive material
Based on everything described above, we can say: there is nothing strange in the fact that over time, making refrigerator magnets has become possible at home. Vinyl for making magnets is a material that is magnetized rubber of various thicknesses. It can be produced not only in rolls, but also in sheets. The cost of one roll reaches 4.3 thousand rubles. According to many experts, vinyl is an ideal material used for making a variety of magnetic calendars, leaflets, souvenirs and notebooks.
Equipment
To be fully armed and produce magnets from various materials, you will need to purchase the following equipment and materials:
- inkjet photo printer + related products (paper, cartridges) – RUB 35,000;
- cutting plotter – 15,000 rubles;
- professional camera (we’ll talk about why it’s profitable to make photomagnets for refrigerators a little later) – 30,000 rubles;
- laminator + laminating film – 6,000 rubles;
- tools for processing – 3,500 rubles;
- paints, brushes – 3,000 rubles;
- roll of vinyl measuring 3000 by 62 cm (10 pieces) – 50,000 rubles;
- acrylic blanks for magnets (1,000 pieces) – 5,000 rubles.
Total: 147,500 rub.
Finding a customer will be easy
Manufacturing magnets as a business has certain requirements. First of all, they relate to the sale of products. But finding customers who can purchase a wholesale batch of magnets is not very difficult. The entire complexity of this process lies in the need to predict this or that corporate event.
Magnets have always been popular at various exhibitions, as they are capable of carrying a certain logo. But even if there is no customer for a wholesale batch, you can always produce single products.
What is needed to produce a magnet?
In order to organize a business, you do not need any specialized equipment for making magnets. You just need a computer. As for software, you need to purchase and install any graphic editor. You will also need an inkjet printer, die cutter and batch laminator. The procedure for manufacturing magnetic products takes place in six steps.
- You will need to print an image on transparent plastic with hot-melt adhesive, having first mirrored it in the editor.
- The transparent plastic on which the design is applied must be separated from the substrate and turned over.
- The resulting material must be passed through a laminator.
- The backing that protects the adhesive layer should be separated from the sheet.
- The sheet with the design printed on it will need to be glued onto vinyl.
- The resulting products must be cut down.
There is nothing complicated in the manufacturing procedure. The images can be absolutely anything. You just have to take into account the fact that instead of paper you need to use a transparent material - plastic.
Based on all of the above, it can be noted that the entire procedure will not require too much free time. But at the same time, you can get magnets with any picture and various shapes. The thickness of such products can reach only one and a half millimeters, but the magnets will be quite strong.
Legal registration
Organizing a plant for the production of permanent magnets requires registration of a legal entity with the establishment of an LLC. The application must indicate the following OKVED codes:
- main – 25.99 – “Production of other finished metal products not included in other groups”, including the production of permanent metal magnets;
- additional – 23.44 – “Production of other technical ceramic products”, including the production of ceramic and ferrite magnets.
Permanent magnets of any type must be produced in compliance with the requirements of the following GOSTs:
- 25639-83 “Cast permanent magnets. Technical conditions";
- 24936-89 “Permanent magnets for electrical products. General technical requirements";
- 17809-72 “Hard magnetic cast materials. Marks";
- 18321-73 (ST SEV 1934-79) “Statistical quality control. Methods for random selection of samples of piece goods.”
It is not required to obtain a license or certificate for the manufacture of permanent magnets, but it is recommended to undergo voluntary certification to confirm the quality of the product.
The production of magnetic products is not a large-scale project, so such activities can be carried out as an individual entrepreneur (IP). When choosing an OKVED code, you should focus on the type of product being manufactured. The following codes are suitable for this activity:
- 23.44 – “Production of other technical ceramic products”, including the production of ceramic and ferrite magnets;
- 32.40 – “Production of games and toys”;
- 22.29 – “Production of other plastic products”;
- 17.29 – “Production of other products from paper and cardboard”;
- 18.12 – “Other types of printing activities, including printing directly on textiles, plastic, glass, metal, wood and ceramics.”
When producing magnetic products, it is necessary to comply with the standards of other GOSTs:
- R 51715-2001 “Decorative and souvenir products, similar in external structure to bladed or throwing weapons. General technical requirements";
- 25779-90 “Toys. General safety requirements and control methods";
- R 53906-2010 “Toys. General safety requirements and test methods. Mechanical and physical properties";
- 32583-2013 “Cutlery and kitchen utensils made of corrosion-resistant steel. General technical conditions";
- R 51687-2000 “Cutlery and kitchen utensils made of corrosion-resistant steel. General technical conditions".
Some magnetic products, in particular toys and kitchen utensils, may be subject to mandatory certification. Souvenir products are certified on a voluntary basis.
High business profitability
An entrepreneurial idea, the essence of which is the production of magnets, has a profitability of 100 percent. And this is even taking into account the minimum prices that will be set for products. You can make about 8 magnets on one A4 sheet. The cost of such souvenirs will vary from 50 to 100 rubles. The cost of the manufactured magnet will not exceed 40 rubles.
Setting up a magnet manufacturing business is not too difficult. The entrepreneur will not be required to purchase too expensive equipment and invest too much money at the initial stage. Even with the help of a simple computer and printer in modern conditions, you can print a high-quality drawing.
Absence of any competition
It is also worth noting that this entrepreneurial idea will be successful because there is no competition in this field of activity. The market is not saturated with souvenirs of this kind, and in some cities an entrepreneur is even capable of becoming a monopolist. The not very high cost of all products will allow you to make a profit that will significantly exceed all initial costs. That is why this business is considered highly profitable.
To summarize all of the above, it can be noted that for the first time the entrepreneur will need approximately 50 thousand rubles. But this entire amount will be fully paid off in two months, or even earlier.
What is special about acrylic magnets?
Every day you can increasingly see acrylic magnets on many people's refrigerators. They are quite beautiful and original. Therefore, their popularity is understandable. In addition, making acrylic magnets is not too difficult. They consist of only two parts:
- A body that serves as a blank. The material used is transparent plastic – acrylic.
- Printing insert.
When creating a magnet, the image is simply inserted into a previously made housing and snaps into place. With the help of prefabricated housings already available, the production of acrylic magnets occurs at a rapid pace.
Rental of premises and personnel
There are several different technologies for producing magnets, which differ in their complexity. The simplest products can be made with your own hands right at home. For other magnets, you will need a garage or a small room where you should install a machine and a special printer.
Hired employees, as well as a separate premises, are required only for complex production or large volumes of products. Of course, if you produce hundreds and thousands of magnets daily, then you will need several workers, a loader or driver, an accountant and a sales manager. Otherwise, all these functions can be performed by the entrepreneur himself.
Production of sunset magnets
The main difference that sunset magnets have is the iron base. The manufacturing technology for magnets of this sample is as follows:
- Purchase of a specialized machine. It is a not very large press with which you can roll the edges of iron blanks.
- Printing elements must be available - images, bases, magnetic vinyl and inner insert.
Making sunset magnets also has its downsides. The disadvantages include the high cost and the not very wide range of types and shapes of the magnets that were manufactured.
Positive features include the ability to produce fairly large quantities of goods in a very short period of time and the ease of organizing a business idea. In addition, using the machine you can make not only magnets, but also badges.
Advertising activity
In order to attract potential customers and interest them in your products, it is best to create a business card website. In addition, advertisements can be placed on other portals of similar topics. Advertising activities on a large scale are not advisable, since the company will be engaged in wholesale sales. You can also advertise your activities through supermarkets, selling some of the magnets with their help.
Selling magnets can bring quite high profits. Therefore, it makes sense to try hard to ensure that your income is very high.
