Artstyl Kelimob, furniture production through Start-Up Nation 

Kelemen: Others at our age are thinking about retirement. We think about what else we could do. 

Csaba and Gabriela Kelemen from Reghin entered the furniture industry 20 years ago. As painted furniture was becoming more and more sought-after on the market, they decided to start the project Start-Up Nation to produce painted furniture they plan to export.

Gabriela Kelemen: We want to do new things, to meet a new market demand. It's not easy to start a business nowadays, but it will be successful if you follow some basic rules. 

Key points:

• Production: custom-made furniture in chipboard and wood, mainly kitchen furniture;

• Equipment purchased through Start-Up Nation:

  • Felder K 940 S Circular Forming Sliding Table Forming Saw
  • Felder G 330 edgebanding machine
  • 2 Felder AF 14 and AF 22 professional exhaust systems
  • Schneider UniMaster UNM 660-10-90 D mobile piston compressor

• Criteria for choosing the supplier: reliability of the machines, simplicity of the mechanisms and easy maintenance

• Tips and advice for future entrepreneursfind solutions so that they are not dependent on labor, their product is in demand on the market, they know how to sell.

INTERVIEW Felder Gruppe Romania: Csaba and Gabriela Kelemen, Artstyl Kelimob, Reghin

What do you produce?

Gabriela Kelemen: We make furniture to order, we make absolutely anything the customer wants, including frames for electric fireplaces, cupboards with hidden drawers, with handleless profiles, kitchen furniture with island and built-in appliances. In 20 years we must have done over 1,000 kitchens and we are really known in the area for quality, anyone who wants a more complicated kitchen comes to us.

What do you appreciate about Felder Gruppe machines?

Csaba Kelemen: First of all, the simplicity of the mechanisms and the easy maintenance because I repair, I dismantle, I assemble, we don't have mechanics in the area or the ones we do have are not very good with machines.

Secondly, reliability. You can tell that these machines have been thought out and nothing is left to chance. After 24 years of life, the BF 631 five-operation combined BF 631 is in very good condition, we've been working on it every day since we bought it 14 years ago. We've changed its bearings before, now we need to change the belt, but it's normal to replace wearing parts. Otherwise, the systems work just as well and the quality we get in the machining is at the same level. There are still 2 other machines in the country that are this old and still working.

What made you decide to apply for Start-Up Nation?

Gabriela Kelemen: Others at our age are thinking about retirement, we are thinking about what else we could do. We decided to start a Start-Up Nation project to produce painted furniture because it's becoming more and more popular, especially abroad. We want to do new things, we want to fill a specific market demand.

What were the problems you faced in running the Start-Up Nation program?

Gabriela Kelemen: The biggest problem in a business is the workforce. We've tried to recruit young people who like it, because if you don't like what you're doing, you don't get anything right, you don't grow, you don't specialize and you don't stay in the business.

In Reghin many furniture factories have closed because those who opened their business did not know this field and relied solely on employees.

How would you characterize the collaboration with the project consultant and suppliers?

Gabriela Kelemen: Because we found out a bit late about the funding program, we were a bit on the run, in a month we had to sort everything out. The project consultant was a bit outdated, I always had to correct, to give accurate data. To make it easier for applicants, I think there should be specialized consultants for each field of activity. Since there is a dedicated budget for the project consultant, I think that you should not have to go through the hassle of just going and signing, but that is not the case at all. You have to invest a lot of energy and a lot of time.

Regarding the equipment supplier, we chose Felder Gruppe Romania because we have worked with Felder Gruppe equipment and we were very satisfied. With the money we got through Start-Up Nation we bought a Felder K 940 S circular saw and a Felder G 330 edge banding machine. The cooperation with Felder Gruppe Romania was very good, with Paul Nastase, our area sales consultant, we have a very good relationship.

What would you advise the following woodworking entrepreneurs looking to open a business through Start-Up Nation?

Gabriela Kelemen: Inexperienced people who want to start a business, if they are ambitious and confident, I think they have a 501TPTP3T chance to succeed. In my opinion, for a successful business, the basic rules are the following:

- you should be the first worker, not dependent on the labor force;

- prospect the market very well;

- make your calculations as realistic as possible;

- your product has market demand;

- know how to sell.

Read the full interview here and see what their first steps in the industry were like, their recommendations and advice for future entrepreneurs in the furniture industry, as well as how the Kelemen's collaboration with the Start-Up Nation project consultant went.

The interview with Csaba and Gabriela Kelemen is part of the Felder Gruppe stories campaign which you can read here.