I am here to give you a short insight about Maclarg’s laser cutting business. I will share my experience of 4 years and will tell you about all the challenges I faced during my journey. Starting from the inception of my enterprise, I will talk about why we started it and how it’s going. I will also discuss its profitability, suitability and future through my story.
About Me and My Company
I’m Lokesh Gairola and the company I’m writing about here is Maclarg. Maclarg is founded by me; and my business partner and one of my closest friends – Ashish Rana. Maclarg is a manufacturing company based in Dehradun, India. We specialise in making 3d replicas of famous architectures, the production of home decor items; customised gifts for any occasions or events or anything which can add utility with beauty in our homes.
How we started:
In early 2021, Ashish and I used to buy products from manufacturers and wholesalers to sell them through various online platforms like Amazon and Instagram. We also sold these products through some offline markets. After a couple of months of digital and offline marketing efforts, we started receiving orders in decent amounts. After 5-6 months, the amount of orders increased up to 5k to 10k per day. Everything was going well when we experienced a problem in this system: We were getting orders from the buyers but vendors or wholesalers were not making the delivery on time. Moreover, poor quality products became a persistent issue which led to various losses, as time and quality are the two most important factors for any buyer.
Buying CO2 Laser Machine and Budget:
As the problem continued, we were brainstorming solutions. In the meantime, we came across a laser machine which can cut mdf boards, leather, acrylic etc. It took us a year to finally buy a small laser machine of 60 watt which cost around 1L. After that, we revised our catalog towards laser products and started putting more efforts towards marketing and improving our products. We started receiving more orders and finally we decided to buy a big commercial size 150 watt laser machine costing around 5L. Since then, we are constantly trying to improve the quality of the products. We also kept looking for the products which could give us more sales with good profit margins. We tried to manufacture a lot of products ranging from home decor to temple miniatures. Please leave a comment if you want me to share more about the types of products we produce and how we produce them. I will try to write about it in my next blog. As for this blog, I will just stick to the current topic of laser machines.
Profitability:
Now let’s talk about what matters the most: how profitable and scalable it is?
Let me share about my business to give you an idea about it:
With a double head laser we can generate about 2.5L to 5L per month, running the machine at nearly full scale. The profit mainly depends on the cost of margin and that is determined by the sales of a particular product. The mentioned amount of money can be easily earned with one machine.
Scalability:
Yes, this business model is scalable. This is evident from my business’s current situation. The more you expand the catalog, the more orders you can get. We tried diverse categories and are still aspiring to add many more. We are open to upgradation and inclusion of new products as well. Like I said before, this is not a one-day game. You need to find a product which you can make and sell, and this needs a lot of work and planning. Currently, we are getting more orders than we can handle, only with the help of offline marketing and a little bit of online marketing.
Suitability:
Another important aspect of this enterprise lies in the question: Who can do this? If you ask me, it is not made for everyone. This work demands creativity in product designing along with good marketing skills. Just think for a second – this is purely the work of craft and customisation. For this, first you have to select a product and then find a market for that product. After that, you have to strive to make your product not just perfect but also cost-effective. From designing and cutting to assembling all the parts, it’s all hustle which needs constant effort and time of the entire team. Currently, we are working from 7am to 10pm in different shifts, and skipping our Sunday fun to complete orders on time.
Final thoughts:
So, I would say it’s not an easy business but yes, if you have access to a certain market and if you think you are a good designer who can work in 2D software, then you can think of starting this business. I would suggest that if everything seems fine, then you can start. It is always better to start with a small setup. Don’t put great amounts of money in the beginning. Rent out a cheap place in the outskirts of your city or start working from your garage. See if you are able to sell your products or not and then slowly increase the production capacity accordingly.
If you want to contact me or want to ask anything about this, I will be happy to help you out.
Contact email: maclargindia@gmail.com
