Artstyl Kelimob, furniture production through Start-Up Nation 

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

Csaba and Gabriela Kelemen from Reghin entered the furniture industry 20 years ago. Because 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 that they plan to export.

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

Key points:

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

• Machinery purchased through Start-Up Nation:

  • Felder K 940 S sliding table circular saw
  • Felder G 330 edge banding machine
  • 2 professional Felder AF 14 and AF 22 exhauster systems
  • Schneider UniMaster UNM 660-10-90 D mobile piston compressor

• Criteria for choosing the supplier: machine reliability, simple mechanisms and easy maintenance

• Tips and advice for future entrepreneurs: to find solutions so that they are not dependent on labour, 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 custom furniture, we make absolutely anything the customer wants, including frames for electric fireplaces, cabinets with hidden drawers, with handleless profiles, kitchen furniture with island and built-in appliances. In 20 years I think we've done over 1,000 kitchens and we're even 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 easy maintenance because I repair, I dismantle, I assemble, we don't have mechanics in the area or those we find are not good with machines.

Secondly, reliability. You can tell these cars have been thought through and nothing is taken for granted. After 24 years of life, the BF 631 5-operation combination machine is in very good condition, we have been working on it every day since we bought it 14 years ago. We have changed its bearings before, now we need to change its belt, but it is normal to replace wearing parts. Otherwise, the systems work just as well and the quality we get in machining is at the same level. There are still 2 machines in the country that are this old and that are still functional.

What made you apply for Start-Up Nation?

Gabriela KelemenOthers at our age are thinking about retirement, we are thinking about what else we can do. We decided to start a Start-Up Nation project to produce painted furniture ourselves because it has become increasingly sought after, especially abroad. We want to do new things, we want to fill a specific demand in the market.

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

Gabriela Kelemen: The biggest problem in a business is manpower. We've tried to recruit young people who also like it, because if you don't like what you do, you don't grow, you don't specialise 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 only on employees.

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

Gabriela Kelemen: Because we found out about the funding programme a bit late, we were on the run, we had to sort everything out in a month. The project consultant was a bit outdated, I always had to correct, to give exact dates. To make it easier for the applicants, I think there should be specialised consultants per business area. Since there is a dedicated budget for the project consultant, I think you shouldn't have the hassle of just going and signing, but that's not the case at all. You have to invest a lot of energy and a lot of time.

Regarding the machine supplier, we chose Felder Gruppe Romania because we have worked with Felder Gruppe machines and we were very satisfied. With the money obtained through Start-Up Nation we bought a Felder K 940 S circular saw and a Felder G 330 edge banding machine. The collaboration with Felder Gruppe Romania has been very good, withPaul Nastase, the sales consultant for our area, we have a very good relationship.

What would you advise the following woodworking entrepreneurs who want 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 50% chance of succeeding. In my opinion, for a successful business, the basic rules are the following:

- the first worker should be you, not depending on labour;

- to prospect the market very well;

- to make calculations as realistic as possible;

- your product is in demand in the market;

- know how to sell.

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

The interview with Csaba and Gabriela Kelemen is part of the Felder Gruppe story campaign that you can readhere.