Modern construction cannot do without paving paving slabs, so many entrepreneurs set up their own production of concrete products. In order to fully and accurately assess profitability and compare the advantages and disadvantages of such a business, it is necessary to study this issue thoroughly.

Production of paving slabs: niche assessment

Paving slabs are in high demand in any region of the country. It has the widest range not only in shades, but also in shapes, configurations, and sizes. With its help, you can create true masterpieces on city streets and private areas. Therefore, the production of paving slabs is considered the most profitable business in our time.

In order for your tile production to be successful, you must adhere to basic manufacturing technologies. The following performance characteristics must be met:

• resistance to frost and high temperatures;
• strength;
• endurance to mechanical stress;
• durability, etc.

If we evaluate the sales niche, then vibropressed paving slabs are the most popular. For example, ordinary paving stones are the top seller - they are bought in 60 cases out of 100. The remaining types are distributed approximately equally - 20-40%.

Characteristics of the most popular types of paving slabs

Vibropressed. Made from concrete mixture. During production, special vibrocompression equipment is used. Refers to the most common. It has high quality indicators and a wide range.

Vibrocast. It is made according to the previous method, but with the difference that the tiles are not pressed, but are made by casting on vibration equipment. It is also a popular type and is of high quality.

Polymer-sand. Polymer substances are used in manufacturing. It features a wide range of shades and textures. It is possible to imitate stone, wood, slate and other natural materials. Strength is at a high level.

Glowing. Such tiles are not a bestseller, as they have a high cost. Most often it is bought for private areas. Quality indicators are good, used mainly for decorative purposes.

Rubber. Rubber raw materials are used in production. A distinctive feature is anti-slip properties. The quality is high.

Any manufacturer at the initial stage of opening a business is engaged in the production of exclusively vibro-pressed and vibro-cast paving slabs. The fact is that such building material requires a minimum of capital investment and has a high level of return on investment. In 2-3 months you can fully return the invested funds and make your first profit.

You can get acquainted with the production technology of vibratory-pressed paving slabs by watching the video:

Advantages and disadvantages

Advantages:

• payback rate;
• opportunity to earn 100-200 rubles per 1 sq. m of product, and this is a significant amount, since the buyer purchases a large number of tiles at once;
• a wide range of sales - from individuals to government agencies;
• There is no seasonality in sales, since modern paving slabs can be installed in any weather conditions.

Flaws:

• expensive equipment;
• the need to initially invest a large amount of money;
• you will have to rent space for the production workshop.

How to start making paving slabs: costs at the start

Before starting your own production of paving slabs, you need to calculate the costs at the start, that is, determine the amount of investment. First of all, it is calculated production cost. The tiles are made from flat-cement concrete and a special plasticizer, which improves quality indicators. A cubic meter will cost you approximately 2800-3000 rubles. From a cubic meter you can make about 15-17 square meters. m. paving slabs. Thus, the average cost of 1 sq. m. of tiles will be 170 rubles minimum.

Don’t forget about spending on electricity, workers’ salaries, and renting premises. Others may also arise production costs. Therefore, you need to add at least 50 rubles to 170 rubles. Consequently, your paving slabs will cost you 220 rubles at least per 1 sq. m. m. It is possible to purchase raw materials cheaper, but in this case, pay special attention to quality indicators.

Be sure to think about employees who will need to be paid at the end of the month (week). Initially, you don’t know how quickly the sale will go, so the amount is wages you should have some in stock. If you plan a small production, for example, in a workshop of 50 sq. m, then you will only need to hire 2-3 employees.

Provided that you find buyers in a short time, the profitability of production will be 150%. To do this, at the initial stages, you can make tiles from inexpensive materials.

Registration and certification

For your business to be legal, you need to register. For small-scale production, registration as an individual entrepreneur is possible. This will make it possible to choose a profitable and simplified taxation system, which will be only 6%. No special certification is required for paving slabs, which simplifies the task even more. However, the majority of buyers require a quality certificate, so it is advisable to order it additionally. To do this, you need to contact the certification service and provide them with samples of each of your products. The service checks the degree of moisture resistance, strength, and resistance to various temperature changes. Resistance to mechanical stress, fading in the sun and color retention must be taken into account.

Organization, equipment

To properly organize your business, you first need to purchase the appropriate equipment. It must be reliable and of high quality. If you don’t have the required amount, you can rent it at the initial stages. You will need the following:

1. For vibropressed paving slabs you need concrete block press. The price from foreign manufacturers is about $20,000. In addition, you need to purchase concrete mixer, the cost of which is $5,000. You will also need punch for $3,000.
2. To make vibro-cast paving slabs, you need to buy a special vibrating table. Its price is only $4,000. Concrete mixer can be purchased for as little as $600.
3. You can't do without forms. One form costs from 1 $ to 8 $.
4. Molds should be washed after each use. Therefore you will need large capacity. Here you can use a regular bathroom. But if you decide to purchase a professional model, it will cost you at least $1,000.
5. To store finished products, you need to buy special pallets.
6. Buy Desktop, on which you will remove the paving slabs from the mold.
7. You will also need a device for tensioning clamping bands, staples, PP tape, stretch film, and a forklift.

Warehouse space

Warehouse space and production itself can be rented or purchased. It must meet certain requirements:

• the presence of heating, since production requires an air temperature of 15-40 degrees;
• central water supply;
• electricity with a voltage of 380 Volts;
• the minimum area should be 50 sq. m;
• ventilation.

Purchase of raw materials

To avoid unnecessary costs, it is necessary to properly purchase raw materials. For example, for production of 30 sq. m of paving slabs you need to buy 0.8 tons of cement, 2.3 kg of plasticizer, 2.5 kg of sand-granite mixture and coloring pigments in the entire palette. Finding a supplier is quite easy. You can contact the mining quarry management yourself. This method will be the most profitable. If this is not possible, you can find an intermediary company, and there are a lot of them today.

1. Try to purchase cement, pigments and other components from one manufacturer. This is especially important for pigment, since each manufacturer has unique shades of the same color.
2. The storage area should be well ventilated and not have high humidity.
3. Fractions of granite crushed stone should be at least 5 mm, maximum 10.
4. The most popular plasticizer is grade C3.

When choosing a supplier, be sure to inquire about his reputation and experience in the market. Remember, it must be reliable and proven.

How to implement? The most common methods

In the process of opening the production of paving slabs, take care of preliminary advertising. After all, this is how you can interest a potential buyer. Initially, make samples of tiles of various shapes, sizes and shades. Create a product catalog, order booklets that will contain information about the product, its benefits, and range.

The most common and reliable ways to sell products:

1. It is best to post information on online platforms.
2. It is advisable to create your own website.
3. You can also find customers through advertisements in newspapers, magazines, television, etc. It is especially important to place advertisements in a specialized construction publication, since it is the consumer audience that reads it.
4. Order advertising in public transport, from minibuses to the metro.
5. Place advertisements in holiday villages and private sector areas, especially if it is an elite residential area.
6. A fairly popular method of self-promotion is participation in specialized exhibitions.
7. You can use direct mail.
8. Organize a point of sale (you can even do it at the place of production).
9. Experienced manufacturers can also use an unusual marketing ploy. For example, offer a free service to a company or government agency. That is, you can lay paving slabs in front of the building completely free of charge. In return, you must be provided with advertising.

Main consumers of paving slabs

Who most often buys concrete products:

1. Construction companies of any type, buyers for the construction of municipal buildings, fulfillment of other types of orders.
2. Private individuals.
3. Legal entities.

The production of paving stones is an interesting idea that can bring good profits even to a novice entrepreneur. Moreover, today the construction sector is one of the most promising and profitable. With the right approach, it will be possible to reduce the amount of capital investments, which will allow even those who do not have a lot of money to start their own business.

It is also interesting that the production of paving stones at home is quite possible, since this business format does not require licensing. And for the work of the workshop, you can equip the backyard of your house or garage.

The relevance of the idea is also explained by the fact that consumer confidence in domestic paving stones has increased significantly over the past few years. They are ready to abandon imported products in favor of local producers.

What are paving stones made of?

The paving stone production business requires full dedication from its owner. Even at the initial stage, you need to think about the quality of the finished products. After all, success and demand will subsequently depend on this.

Most often, paving stones are produced by vibratory casting. This option requires the use of the following components:

• sand;
• cement;
• crushed stone (in the form of pebbles measuring 0.5 - 1 centimeter);
• water;
• dyes;
• plasticizers.

The composition of the paving stones is not that large. At the same time, every entrepreneur strives to make some changes to the recipe. This allows you to differentiate yourself from competitors, attract regular customers and increase your income.

Finding the exact recipe for paving stones is problematic, since companies try to keep this information secret. Therefore, even before the start of production, you need to independently develop the technology. If a businessman lacks his own knowledge, then it is better for him to seek help from a specialist in this industry.

After the formulation has been developed, testing must be carried out. In appearance, high-quality paving stones may have various flaws. For example, it may not withstand various types of mechanical stress or may deteriorate greatly due to environmental influences. Only after you are convinced of the excellent quality and impeccable characteristics, you need to proceed directly to the production of paving stones.

In many ways, the quality of the finished products will depend on the quality of the components used. Therefore, it is equally important to find reliable, proven and proven suppliers. Establishing long-term relationships will allow you to get favorable prices, a continuous flow of raw materials, discounts and other bonuses. Ideally, the supplier will be geographically located near the workshop. This will reduce the cost of transporting raw materials.

If the production of paving stones as a business is organized at home, then the manufacturing technology itself will be similar to those used in large enterprises. The main difference will be significantly lower performance. Most enterprises use vibration casting technology. It allows you to get truly high-quality products that meet European standards. Its main characteristics are:

• strength level;
• life time;
• appearance.

The production process itself is divided into the following stages:

1. a mixture of cement, sand and other ingredients is mixed;
2. the resulting mixture is poured into molds;
3. the forms are sent to a vibrating table for further processing;
4. the resulting products are left for 1 day, after which they are heated with water;
5. the tiles are removed from the molds;
6. The received products are packaged and stored.

Even someone who has never been involved in vibration casting can do all these steps. Manual work allows you to reduce the cost of paving stone production, but for large volumes it makes sense to think about purchasing specialized equipment.

Necessary equipment

It will not be possible to do without technical equipment. Capital costs should include the cost of the following equipment:

• concrete mixer;
• vibration machine;
• forms;
• baths with heating function;
• dispensers;
• scales.

All together will cost about 500,000 rubles. If the entrepreneur does not have such capital, then he may consider purchasing a used mini-line. Then it will be possible to reduce costs to 300,000 rubles.

With increasing demand, it will be necessary to purchase new, more modern and high-tech equipment. This will minimize manual labor and increase productivity. As the range of products expands, it is worth thinking about purchasing new forms for paving stones.

If an entrepreneur independently delivers finished products to wholesale buyers, he will also have to buy vehicles. There are other options: contact a transport company; reduce the cost with the condition of independently removing the paving stones from the base.

Finding suitable premises

What kind of equipment to rent will depend on the scale of production and the dimensions of the purchased equipment. For a small workshop, a room with an area of ​​30 m2 will be sufficient. But you will additionally need a room for cooling the molds and storing the finished paving stones. In total, a building with an area of ​​100 m2 will be required. Large productions will require much more significant rental investments.

Advertising and distribution channels

Any entrepreneur understands the importance of properly promoting their products. Without effective advertising, you won’t be able to quickly find buyers. This is despite the fact that paving stones are one of the most popular construction products. This is explained by the fact that the niche is partially occupied; many companies cooperate with each other on a long-term basis.

If an entrepreneur wants to ensure large sales volumes, then it is better for him to focus on wholesale trade. In general, you can work with the following potential buyers:

• private individuals (owners of country houses, for example);
• warehouses;
• building materials stores;
• organizations involved in landscape design, construction, and landscaping;
• owners of commercial buildings with adjacent territories.

It is important to ensure the availability of exhibition products. This will allow potential buyers to evaluate the appearance and quality of the paving stones. Don’t forget about customer acquisition channels. In this case, the most effective ways would be:

• advertisements on the Internet;
• advertising in newspapers;
• posting leaflets;
• distribution of booklets.

Having your own website will be another plus. This channel will allow you to attract an additional flow of customers.

Financial results

To start a business you will need initial capital. You can take it from your own funds or borrow money from a bank. In total you will need about 1,000,000 rubles. They will go towards the following cost items:

• equipment;
• repairing the premises and bringing it into compliance with existing standards;
• registration costs;
• purchase of raw materials.

The income can reach 800,000 rubles when producing about 2,000 m 2 of paving stones per month. After paying rent, wages and purchasing raw materials, there will be about 100,000 net profit left. It turns out that the entrepreneur will be able to recoup his investment no earlier than in 10 - 12 months.

Concrete tiles are a beautiful, convenient and durable material, and therefore it is not surprising that it is in demand. Recently, it has successfully replaced asphalt pavement - both in urban landscaping and in private construction. Demand clearly exceeds supply - city courtyards, sidewalks, squares, park alleys and summer cottages require high-quality and practical coating.

Of course, city administrations, as a rule, cooperate with large manufacturers who have been seriously established in this market for a long time. But small construction companies and private owners most often order paving stones from small enterprises. The business of producing paving slabs is the very niche that you can still occupy and feel comfortable with, despite considerable competition. In addition, such entrepreneurship does not require high start-up investments, but pays off quite quickly, even with small volumes.

Will paving stone production be profitable?

To correctly and accurately answer this question, you should study the supply and demand on the paving market in your locality:

• In what quantity and at what price do competitors offer paving slabs, what additional services do they provide?
• Do you have a lot of potential clients: dacha cooperatives, repair and construction teams, etc.
• Who will supply the raw materials: if there are no granite and sand quarries nearby, it will have to be purchased in other regions, and this will inevitably increase the cost of production.

If you have determined that market saturation is relatively low and allows a new player to count on a sufficient number of orders, you can begin to open a business. To begin with, it is better to give preference to small production: if large orders appear, it will be possible to purchase additional equipment and “expand”.

Enterprise registration

Fortunately, no license or certificates are required to produce paving slabs. To get started, just register as an individual entrepreneur. If you want to confirm the high quality of your products, you can undergo a voluntary certification procedure, but, as already mentioned, this is not necessary.

What to produce

There are several types of paving slabs:

• clinker,
• vibropressed,
• vibrocast.

The clinker house is considered the most expensive of all. To make it you will need special equipment and high quality clay. Needless to say, for a small enterprise that has just appeared on the market, such costs will be unreasonably high. In addition, the sales market for such tiles is quite narrow.

The right decision for a novice manufacturer would be to turn to a more democratic form and start producing paving stones using the vibration casting method. In terms of quality and price ratio, this is the best option, and consumers who are looking for durable and inexpensive paving slabs usually prefer this one. The vibration casting technology itself is one of the simple ones, and the cost of tiles produced by this method is low.

Vibropressed tiles are also strong, durable and aesthetically pleasing, but their production is more expensive.

In addition to the tiles themselves, buyers should be offered borders, decorative elements, and facing stones: it is always convenient to purchase everything you need in one place.

Laying tiles can also become a related service - this will help the buyer purchase the exact amount of material, and the manufacturer will receive additional profit.

Workshop for the production of paving slabs

You should start organizing production by finding a suitable premises. The requirements for it are not that high. It must be heated (special temperature conditions are required for the production of tiles). Communications are required - centralized water supply and electricity with the possibility of using a voltage of 380 V.

The location where the workshop will be located is not particularly important, so inexpensive buildings on the outskirts will do. The area of ​​the room can be small, from 60 square meters. meters, it depends on the capabilities and planned scale of production.

To produce paving stones, you will definitely need a drying room, where the floor must be warm and the air temperature must be maintained at 35–40 degrees. You will also need to allocate a small warehouse for storing finished products.

Equipment and personnel

When the premises are selected, you can proceed to the purchase of equipment and recruitment of personnel.

To produce tiles you will need:

• 1–2 concrete mixers,
• stripping table,
• forming vibrating table,
• special plastic forms.

With this set of equipment you can start producing square and shaped paving stones, decorative fences, borders, facade tiles and slabs with gutters.

To produce 30 sq. m of tiles per day, the company must employ three people per shift. These can be ordinary workers - there are no special requirements for their qualifications. Their responsibilities will include following the recipe and technology for mixing concrete, filling out forms and sending tiles to pressing tables and then to the drying room.

During the “hot” season, when a lot of goods are needed, you can hire employees for temporary work.

Raw materials for tiles

Paving slabs must comply with GOST: meet the requirements for strength, frost resistance, hygroscopicity, etc. The tile covering should last 25 years or more. To achieve such quality, you will need not only to follow the production technology, but also to use good raw materials.

To produce 30 sq. meters of tiles, you will need:

• cement – ​​0.8 t;
• concrete plasticizer – 2.3 kg;
• sand-granite mixture – 2.5 t;
• pigments.

The supply of sand and granite crushed stone must be negotiated with the management of the mining quarry - preferably directly, but it is also possible through an intermediary company.

It is better to purchase cement and pigments of the same brand, especially if a large order is being carried out, otherwise you may encounter the problem of color mismatch between tiles in different batches.

Search for buyers

To show off the product, it is better to make several demonstration samples so that potential buyers can see what the coating will look like. However, a product catalog wouldn’t hurt either – colorful booklets with information about the benefits of tiles in general and yours in particular will definitely come in handy.

You can also personally offer your products to managers or suppliers of repair and construction teams. Advertisements will help you find customers – both in the media (newspapers, magazines, on Internet sites) and simply in cottage villages.

Costs and profits

To launch a production line of 30 sq. m of paving slabs per day, you will need about 200–250 thousand rubles. excluding the cost of purchasing or renting premises for a workshop.

Cost of production 1 sq. m of tiles averages 250 rubles, taking into account the cost of raw materials, electricity and employee wages. Average price per sq. m of tiles for sale – 350–450 rubles.

Thus, provided that the product is quickly sold, a paving slab production business can recoup its investment in just 2–3 months.

In urban landscaping, the ubiquitous asphalt surface has been replaced by a beautiful and convenient material - concrete tiles. It is used to lay sidewalks, playgrounds, local areas, cottage and summer cottage plots. Thousands more kilometers of sidewalks and courtyards are waiting for a new practical coating. And, if city administrations mainly cooperate with large contractors, then individuals and entrepreneurs are happy to order paving stones from small enterprises . The paving slab production business, even with small volumes, quickly pays for itself and brings good profits. At the same time, it does not require large start-up investments.

Is it worth starting a paving stone production?

To answer this question, study supply and demand in the paving market in your city:

• Analyze in what volumes and at what price your future competitors sell paving slabs, and what other services they provide.
• Identify your potential clients: open cafes, private hotels and shops, repair and construction teams.
• Look for possible suppliers: if there are no granite and sand quarries nearby, you will have to order raw materials from other regions, which will significantly increase the cost of production and reduce the profitability of production.

If research into a competitive market shows that market saturation is low, it may be worth considering creating a high-capacity manufacturing facility.

It is better for an inexperienced entrepreneur not to take risks and purchase additional equipment as large orders arrive.

Business registration

The production of paving slabs as a business does not require any licenses or certificates. Enough and you can start organizing production. If you wish, you can undergo a voluntary product certification procedure, which will confirm the high quality of your products that meet state standards.

What tiles to produce?

The main types of paving slabs are clinker, vibropressed and vibrocast. Clinker tiles are the most expensive of all. Its production requires high quality clay and special firing equipment. It is not practical for a small enterprise to start producing expensive tiles due to the rather narrow market for such products.

You should focus on producing tiles using vibration casting. Such tiles are most in demand due to their durability and wear resistance, variety of shapes and colors. This is the best choice in terms of price-quality ratio, both for customers and for the manufacturer. Vibratory casting technology is easy to use and has low cost. Vibration-pressed tiles have similar characteristics, but are considered to be more expensive to produce than vibro-cast tiles.

Along with paving slabs, you can produce curbs, facing stones, and park decor items. Do not leave the laying of your tiles in the wrong hands: usually the work on manufacturing and installing the coating is a complex process. This is convenient for the buyer, and you can more accurately calculate the required number of tiles.

Workshop organization

The tile production technology requires a special temperature regime, so the equipment must be placed in a heated room. Where the production workshop will be located does not matter. You can rent any suitable premises with an area of ​​60 sq. m. m. Communications must be connected to the building: central water supply and three-phase electricity with a voltage of 380 V.

Separately, it is necessary to equip a drying room with a heated floor, where the air temperature will be maintained at 35 - 40 degrees. Provide storage space for finished products.

During the winter, if your production volumes increase in preparation for the peak spring/summer season, you may need additional storage.

Equipment required for the production of paving slabs:

• concrete mixer (1 – 2 pcs.);
• forming vibrating table;
• stripping table;
• plastic forms.

This is a minimum set of equipment that is sufficient for the production of figured and square paving stones, facade tiles, decorative fences and slabs with gutters.

Staff

To reach a productivity of 30 sq. m of tiles per day, it is necessary for 3 people to work in one shift. There are no special requirements for the qualifications of workers. They are required to follow the concrete mixing recipe, fill out forms and send products to the pressing tables and drying room.

During high-demand tiling seasons, hire a few people on your crew for temporary work.

Purchase of raw materials

High-quality tile covering can last up to 25 years. Paving slabs are manufactured in accordance with GOST “Concrete paving slabs” No. 17608-91. Products must meet the requirements of frost resistance, strength, water absorption and abrasion. For this purpose, the tiles are made from high-quality raw materials with precise adherence to technology.

For production of 30 sq. m of tiles you will need:

• cement – ​​0.8 t;
• sand-granite mixture – 2.5 t;
• concrete plasticizer – 2.3 kg;
• pigments.

It is better to negotiate an uninterrupted supply of sand and granite crushed stone or screenings with the quarry management directly or through an intermediary company.

Try to constantly purchase cement of the same brand, especially when completing a large order, otherwise you will encounter a problem such as color mismatch of tiles from different batches. The same goes for pigments.

Sales of products

In order to offer your tiles to potential customers, you need to make several demonstration samples. Cast samples of products in different colors and shapes so that the customer can see with his own eyes, and not in a catalogue, what his tile covering will look like.

Additional options can be presented in a colorful booklet, accompanied by information about the advantages of concrete tiles, their proper operation and your company’s service offerings.

It is better to communicate with repair and construction teams individually; for other clients, place advertisements in cottage and holiday villages, in free newspapers and Internet sites, and in specialized magazines.

Business plan for the production of paving slabs

One-time costs for launching a production line of 30 sq. m of paving slabs per day range from 200 thousand rubles. excluding the cost of renting a workshop.

Cost of production 1 sq. m of tiles averages 210 rubles. (including the cost of raw materials; wages at the rate of 45 rubles per 1 sq. m; electricity consumed for a standard working day).

Average sale price of 1 sq. m of tiles – 350-370 rubles.

Provided that all products are quickly sold, the production of paving slabs can pay for itself in 2-3 months.

When improving any territory, you cannot do without a convenient and beautiful road surface. Production of paving slabs as a business: profitability, plan with calculations of income and costs in a review for beginning entrepreneurs.

Pros and cons of paving slab business

Paving slabs are a popular building material for arranging paths and platforms in a wide variety of places:

• city ​​parks, squares, roads, squares;
• area in front of shops and other business establishments;
• courtyards in private and apartment buildings.

Competition in this sector of the economy is very high, but huge volumes of consumption allow all producers of high-quality paving stones to make a profit.

Entrepreneurs are attracted by the following points:

1. Lack of permits to open a business.
2. Simplicity of legal registration.
3. Need for a small number of employees.
4. Simple technological process.
5. Opportunity to earn additional income from providing tile laying services.
6. High level of profitability.

The negative aspects include:

• Seasonality - most of the production occurs in the warm season, since a small amount of construction work is carried out in winter.
• Same type and monotonous work - due to this, staff turnover is possible.
• Expensive equipment - paving stones are produced on a large scale using machines costing up to half a million rubles.

You can download a business plan for the production of paving slabs with calculations at.

Tile production business plan

In order not to miss anything when starting a project for the production of paving slabs, you must adhere to the following action plan:

1. Marketing market research.
2. Study of tile production technology.
3. Registration of an enterprise.
4. Renting premises.
5. Purchase of equipment and materials.
6. Search for workers.
7. Organization of advertising and sales.
8. Profitability calculation.

To save time, you can do several things at the same time, for example, purchasing equipment and hiring workers.

The owner of a paving slab production may need a business plan in case of borrowing funds - a bank loan or a non-commercial loan.

Marketing

There are many varieties of tiles on the market, which differ in characteristics and production methods. Starting from scratch to produce several types at once is expensive and risky. It is better to determine the most in-demand product and only after the enterprise begins to generate stable profits, expand production.

You can identify a sales leader either on your own or by ordering research from a marketing company. Also at this stage, it is necessary to determine the lower and upper limits of the price of tiles in order to be able to compete without damaging your own business.

Another option is possible: if, when analyzing the market, a niche turns out to be free, then if there is demand, you can take a strong position in the production of unique products.

Technology

There are three main types of coating:

• Ordinary concrete slabs used to pave sidewalks and paths. Color and shape can be very diverse, even with 3D design.
• Polymer plastic tiles. With the help of additives, it is given the necessary properties - frost resistance, reinforcement, water resistance. Polymer tiles have a longer service life, are easier to process and more pleasant to use than concrete tiles.
• Soft paving slabs. The basis for production is shredded car tires. This coating is used in the construction of sports fields, outdoor swimming pools and other places where there is a danger of injury. The tile can withstand a wide range of temperatures, is highly resistant to adverse environments, and has a non-slip rubber surface.

Two approaches are used in production:

1. Vibration casting is a simple and cheap method of producing tiles that are not very durable and of high quality. First, a concrete mixture of cement, crushed stone, sand and additives is prepared in a concrete mixer. Then the mixture is poured into molds on a vibrating table, which operates until the surface of the tile is moistened. The molds are dried on pallets indoors for two days, then heated for several minutes to 60ºC-70ºC to remove the tiles on a vibrating table. During the process of heating and beating out the matrix, cracks and chips may form on the paving stones, especially if unskilled labor and cheap equipment are used.
2. Vibropressing and hyperpressing - this method uses expensive equipment, but the tiles are of high quality. As with vibratory casting, a molding mixture is prepared, which is compacted with a vibropress or hydraulic press. Such tiles dry for 8-9 hours naturally or 5-6 hours with hot steam. Since manual labor is kept to a minimum, there are practically no defective products.

To produce high-quality tiles, you need to consider the following nuances:

• When first used, polymer forms are treated with a special agent that removes static charge. In the future, it is advisable to use emulsol lubricant and, after finishing making the tiles, rinse with a 7% hydrochloric acid solution.
• To retain moisture in the tile when drying, it is covered with film. But then the drying time increases.

The finished paving stones are carefully placed on wooden pallets and secured with film and tape. The tiles should be stored in a dry, warm and well-ventilated warehouse.

Legal registration

The owner of an enterprise can register as an individual entrepreneur or open a limited liability company. Next, you need to register for tax purposes with the Federal Tax Service and social funds. A simplified taxation system makes it possible to submit reports once a year with payment of tax as a percentage of revenue and fixed social contributions.

No special permits are required to conduct activities. If it is necessary to issue a quality certificate to the customer for tiles, you must provide a sample of the product to the certification service.

Room

The production of paving slabs as a business cannot be carried out at home - for the location of equipment and storage of finished products on an industrial scale, a room of at least 70 square meters is required. m. In the industrial zone of any city there is a free workshop or a suitable warehouse at an affordable price.

Basic requirements for a mini-plant:

1. Availability of communications - water supply, sewerage, electricity.
2. An insulated room and the presence of heating if you plan not to stop production during the cold season.
3. A change house for workers or the possibility of independently arranging a living area.
4. Separate sites for production and warehouse.
5. High ceilings.
6. Access road adapted for freight transport.

It is advisable to find premises near wholesale centers that sell raw materials for production in order to save on delivery.

Equipment and raw materials

The list of necessary equipment for any production technology includes:

• concrete mixer (to make two-layer tiles you need 2 pieces);
• matrices of various standard forms in the amount of 150-200 pieces (there are metal, plastic, wood, silicone);
• container for washing molds;
• heated container for removing tiles from the matrix;
• racks for drying tiles;
• pallets for storing finished products;
• packaging tools and accessories;
• scales;
• hydraulic trolley for moving pallets with tiles.

Depending on the method of making paving stones, you will need:

1. Vibrating table
2. Hydropress.

New equipment is quite expensive (from 100,000 to 500,000 rubles), while used equipment is 30-40 percent cheaper. You can make a vibrating table and iron forms yourself if you have experience in mechanical engineering and the ability to work with metal. But at the same time, production technology and the quality of the finished product are called into question.

If you have free starting capital, you can purchase a ready-made tile production line for RUB 800,000. - 1,000,000 rub.

Raw materials for concrete paving stones are cheap and available. Recipe for making 1 sq. m. paving slabs 6 cm high:

This is the most common composition among manufacturers. You can also use crumb rubber, glue, wire mesh, polymers, and clay in production.

An important point: in order to obtain consistently high-quality products, the components for preparing the mixture must be of the same brand and manufacturer.

Employees

The number of workers required at a paving stone plant depends on the planned output volumes. For example, for production by vibration compaction method 50 sq. m of paving surface will require 3 people per shift:

• worker at the machine;
• handyman;
• loader.

Administrative work, product sales and accounting activities at the enterprise can initially be carried out by the owner. Once the plant becomes profitable, it makes sense to hire specialists.

Particular attention should be paid to safety precautions, and workers should be provided with special clothing and protective equipment.

Sales of products

For a novice entrepreneur, the main buyers of paving slabs are the owners of private houses and retail outlets. To receive an order from a construction company, it will be necessary to certify the products.

The first clients may be friends or relatives who need to improve their territory. You need to look for orders through advertisements in local newspapers, construction press, and information portals on the Internet. A good result comes from participation in specialized fairs and exhibitions and contacts with supply agents of construction companies.

Sometimes customers receive orders for tiles with installation. To provide turnkey services, you can enter into an agreement with an installation organization or hire workers for each case.

To attract large customers, you need to make discounts, for example, when purchasing a certain quantity of products, offer free delivery and provide a warranty on operation.

Video: how to open a paving slab production business?

Economic calculations

To determine the amount of investment in a tile project, you need to make a cost-income calculation and calculate whether it is profitable to engage in this business.

Starting production using the vibrocompression method includes the following costs:

Half of the investment is the cost of purchasing equipment. Vibratory casting technology does not use expensive equipment and you can start a business with 700,000 rubles available. — 750,000 rub.

Fixed costs per month for the production of paving stones consist of:

Cost of 1 sq. m of paving slabs will cost the entrepreneur 280 rubles. In the process of work, additional costs may arise for equipment repairs, product certification, incentive payments to employees, etc.

The plant's income will depend on the volume of production and sales of tiles. Presumably, with a production rate per day of 50 sq. m of paving stones and sales of 80% at 600 rubles, monthly turnover will be:

With such calculations, the investment will pay off in 4 months - this is a very high figure for production. If you also provide tile laying services, the profitability will be even higher.