Issue link: https://docs.hic.us/i/403552
Choosing Embroidery Machinery It's only after determining who your customer will be and how you will service them, that you can begin to determine what type of machinery is appropriate for your needs. While most Embroidery Shops start out with a single head machine, this is not a hard fast rule. You may need something larger depending upon the potential customer base. If research shows that most of your anticipated business will be multiple-piece orders, then perhaps you will need to consider a multi-head embroidery machine. For example, if you felt that your typical order was in the 48 piece range, then a 4 head machine would be much more efficient than a single head machine. It produces four pieces in the same time that a single head machine produces one piece, yet it doesn't cost four times more than the single head machine. In addition, the overhead to run the 4 head machine is higher than the single head machine, but not by a factor of four. Bottom-line, you can produce four times more per hour, with only a small increase in cost. This means that it costs much less per piece to produce this order on the 4 head machine than the single head machine. You can pass the savings on to your customer in the form of lower prices, or keep more for yourself. Frequency of orders has an impact as well. Though your average order may be 48 pieces, if you only had four or five of them per week, then you might be better off with a smaller machine initially. But also realize that all shops, regardless of size, will have a need for at least one single or two head machine for doing samples, individual names, repairs, etc. So even if you start out with a 6 head machine, you will still need to include a single- head machine as well. Make sure you fully understand the issues of machine efficiency, so that you purchase the right equipment. It's very easy to buy the wrong thing if you haven't done your homework. Buying too big of a machine will incur unnecessary overhead, while too small of a machine might prevent you from being cost competitive on the larger orders. Hobby Versus Commercial Machines When it comes to choosing a machine, the majority of us look at the price tag first, before considering anything else. This is a natural tendency for most people, but many times it leads you in the wrong direction. The key is to buy the machine that is necessary to fulfill the requirements of your business model. In some cases this may be an entry-level machine, in other cases it may be something much larger. In fact, with the advent of the low-cost hobby machine, many people have tried starting an embroidery business with this machine as the www.hsi.us care@hsi.us 19