Production of car body kits

Comments: no Published: 12/06/2016

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Tags:Bumper manufacturingBumper repair

The bumper is one of the types of car parts that are most often damaged. This is due to its intended purpose - here most of the impact energy is absorbed when colliding with an extraneous obstacle. Therefore, various types of defects appear on its surface - scratches, chips, cracks, breaks.

In modern car models, plastic body kits are most often found - this material has a number of advantages over other options:

low cost;
manufacturability;
maintainability;
beautiful appearance;

Body kit for tuning Toyota Land Cruiser 200 and Lexus LX

small weight;
immunity to corrosion;
resistance to atmospheric factors.

The production of bumpers is established mainly abroad, so their cost here is quite high - it includes delivery costs, customs duties, etc. In this regard, recently the production of bumpers made of plastic in-house has become increasingly widespread.

Some motorists, if necessary, make a body kit for their own car so as not to overpay for an imported one. There are those who manually make such products not only for their own needs, but also for sale - we are talking about handicraft production. Well, someone has already managed to set up their own business, purchasing professional equipment for the production of bumpers and producing goods in whole batches.

DIY wheel arch extensions

Choosing a direction

As a rule, companies that produce their own body kits for tuning focus on a specific brand and model. This allows you to “not be scattered” and achieve the best quality of workmanship, optimize production and sales processes. The “sources” for modifications can be completely different - from popular VAZ new products like Vesta and XRAY to frame SUVs Toyota Land Cruiser and Lexus LX.

For example, in the niche of tuning kits for Japanese all-wheel drive cars, the most famous manufacturers are Khann and Invader. Despite a small staff of specialists and relatively small production volumes by world standards, the brands today are well known not only in Russia, but also abroad. In addition to kits with individual design, some manufacturers produce a so-called replica - this is a set of external parts that allow you to restyle the car. For example, a car produced in 2008, after installing updated elements, will look like a similar model released in 2018. Ordering and supplying a set of restyled parts will be significantly cheaper than replacing your car with a newer one.

Why is tuning done?

A car enthusiast may have many reasons to repair a bumper with his own hands.

Tuning cars. By installing a fresh part, the car's surface will look brighter and more versatile.

Component failure. With such a problem, repair of any part or the entire structure is necessary.

Improving the driving characteristics of the car. When changing the design of the bumper on a car, the car body will be better pressed to the surface of the earth while driving.

It is better to entrust the production of bumpers to professional specialists. This is especially true when replacing broken parts with suitable parts. But, if the component needs to add special features, then they do the bumper tuning themselves.

To change your car design, you need to be patient, because when working you need to be attentive and have a certain amount of knowledge.

Business registration

The production of car body kits does not require licensing. To register a business, it will be enough to open an individual entrepreneur or LLC. The activity code according to the OKVED classifier directly for the production of body kits must be specified as follows:

29.32. Production of other components and accessories for motor vehicles

In addition, you should indicate that your company will not only produce products, but will also be able to offer customers installation and modification services:

45.20.3 Provision of other types of vehicle maintenance services

For your product line, it is better to immediately register your brand, which you will promote not only on the Russian but also on the international market.

Making a bumper from foam plastic and fiberglass

The manufacturing process is similar to the previous one. The only difference is that the parts are designed separately, and only then they are connected to each other using liquid nails. And in all other details, the list of tools and stages of work - everything is the same. How to install the front bumper yourself without anyone's help?

Since polystyrene foam is considered to be a material that can be easily given any shape and form, it is often used in the manufacture of bumpers at home.

To make a body part using fiberglass, you will need glass fabric or fiberglass. They must be used in combination.

In addition, you will need epoxy resin with a hardener, putty, paraffin, a cutting tool, a respirator, sandpaper, a sander and more.

Making a fiberglass bumper is as follows. The matrix is coated with paraffin. This is necessary for subsequent easy removal of the part. Apply a thick layer of putty to level the surface of the matrix. A layer of epoxy resin and hardener is coated on top.

Once the layer is dry, fiberglass is applied to it. It is also necessary to ensure that it fits tightly to the bottom to prevent air from entering. When the initial layer has dried, they begin to build up two more layers of fiberglass.

After they dry, you can begin to coat the joints with thick resin. As soon as the part has hardened, it is separated from the matrix, sanded, coated with a primer and painted.

Choosing a room

To organize production, a small room of 50 square meters will be enough. Moreover, some companies specializing in the production of car body kits began producing their products in garages.

It is best to opt for a small box in a built complex that already has tenants from a related industry - for example, a car service center, tire service, car wash, etc. The monthly rent will be about 25-30,000 rubles. Part of the premises used is useful for production and installation, part can be used as a warehouse for storing finished products.

It is best to locate the office itself next to the production premises - there you can conduct presentations and negotiations with clients, as well as place a designer’s workplace. The minimum area will be sufficient - 15-10 squares, so the rental cost will not be high.

Production technology

The technology for producing machine parts is quite simple, and if you have skills in working with 3D graphics, the entire process can be done by just one person.

At the very beginning of production, taking into account the client’s wishes, a product model is created based on a computer program.

Next, it needs to be agreed upon with the client and, if necessary, changes must be made. The next stage is to create a matrix for the future bumper. It is inserted into equipment to obtain a shape and, under pressure, a bumper of the required shape is bent from the raw material.

At the final stage, the product is painted. It is difficult to choose a perfect color to match the car; an alternative is to paint it in a contrasting shade.

Manufacturing process

At the initial stage of organizing production, it is necessary to decide on the materials from which the complex body kit of the car will be produced. If everything is relatively clear with exhaust systems and chrome decorative elements, then there are different opinions regarding the manufacture of bumpers and aerodynamic body kits (spoilers, “skirts”). Recently, many experts agree that it is best to organize the production of these parts from fiberglass.

Firstly, such material gives scope for the manufacture of even the most daring solutions in terms of design and construction.
Secondly, it is quite light - and this is important for both sports cars and bulky SUVs - weight reduction is extremely important for both.

Fiberglass fiber can be easily painted in any color, which allows you to avoid “multiple colors” when installed on a car. When using high-quality paints and varnishes, the color coating lasts quite a long time.

And also, like any other fiberglass products, car body kits are quite simple to manufacture - which is important for a novice entrepreneur with minimal experience in this field. For manual molding, you will only need a matrix and a few tools (brushes, rolling rollers, measuring vessels, and so on).

Initially, a drawing of the part planned for production is made - for this it will be necessary to master specialized programs for 3D modeling. Some entrepreneurs in this area themselves have good design and visualization skills, some resort to the help of hired specialists. In any case, if you are thinking about working for the future, you cannot do without a good designer.

After making the drawing and agreeing on the 3D layout with the client, the matrix manufacturing process begins. The latter is very important, since any fiberglass product completely repeats the shape of the matrix - even a small flaw will be noticeable on the finished product.

Finally, if desired, the manufactured body kit can be installed directly in the studio - competent and careful technicians will be useful for this. Here it is worth paying attention to the fact that many clients buy body kits from other cities and even countries - therefore, not every part is installed by their own staff.

Individual production

Practice has shown that the manufacture of bumpers made of plastic manually can be done even alone. To do this, you do not need special equipment for the production of bumpers and a separate room - the work can be done in your own garage, using improvised means. As a rule, those who engage in such activities combine them with the provision of services for various types of car repairs.

The work of manufacturing a bumper consists of several stages:

Project development - at this stage, sketches are drawn and the shape and dimensions of the future product are determined. Ideally, when it comes to regular orders, several of the most frequently repeated designs can be made in digital 3-D editors on a computer. If you don’t know how to do this, contact a professional designer, providing him with drawings and axonometric projections. Discuss the project with the customer, listen to all his wishes and make the necessary changes to the project.

Creating a 3D model of the future bumper

Making the matrix is the most important procedure on which the success of the entire operation will depend. A matrix is a mold for casting a future product. For frequently repeated applications, keep permanent, reusable dies, but for a custom project you will need to make a special dies. For disposable use, the matrix is usually made from technical plasticine, which holds high temperatures well and is not destroyed by polyester resin. For reusable matrices, you will need a more durable and reliable material. After the base is molded, the polyester resin is diluted with Aerosil and applied to the plasticine surface. Then they put a “three hundred” glass mat, and a “six hundred” one on top of it. As a result, you get a product with walls whose thickness is 4 mm. Teflon polish is used as a separating layer - it is needed so that the matrix and the workpiece can be easily separated. Finish the product using sandpaper with different grain sizes.

Matrix for making a car bumper
If we are talking about a complex body kit configuration, it is made in parts, which are then glued together:

After making the matrix, they begin to manufacture the body kit. First, treat the matrix with wax and on top with gelcoat, which you apply from a sprayer or with a brush. It is needed in order to make the future product moisture resistant. Then, using a brush or roller, lay down a layer of polyester resin with a hardener, on which lay the fiberglass. Place a final layer of resin and aluminum powder on top - you can use Aerosil instead. Take the product out and wait until it dries.
If necessary, sand the surface to remove uneven terrain.
The final stage is painting - use enamels for plastic surfaces. The choice of tone depends on what paint the car for which you are making the bumper is painted.

You can apply this method yourself in your own garage - you do not need special equipment for this, only available tools. The manual method of making a body kit requires skills in handling materials, as well as attention and accuracy. This is a labor-intensive procedure that requires a lot of time and effort.

Sales and Marketing

Sales of car body kits can be carried out in several directions at once. Each of them will generate its own flow of leads for purchase.

Offline promotion options

Offline sales are best carried out through partnerships with numerous car dealerships that are official dealers of the brand of car for which you produce body kits.
You can also contact the car importer in Russia directly - cooperation with the manufacturer or its official representative will significantly increase the authority of your brand in the market and attract new customers. Car showrooms will immediately become your wholesale clients and representatives in other cities - it is through them that a large flow of customers passes through who buy new cars and may be interested in their further modification and styling. The salon will be able to earn its percentage on your products.

Also, resellers of body kits of your production can be: other tuning studios that do not have their own production facilities, online stores, retail chains selling tuning elements and spare parts.

Online sales

Forums and clubs
. Numerous thematic forums for owners of cars of the make and model you need, as well as specialized online clubs, are suitable for online sales.
Social network.
It’s better to make yourself known as much as possible on social networks - this will require close cooperation with SMM specialists.
Contextual advertising
"Yandex.Direct" and Google.Adwords are also a must-have. As a rule, the cost of clicks and impressions in a narrowly targeted niche of car body kits is low. This will allow you to run an advertising campaign with relatively small investments.

The cost of online promotion will be about 20,000 rubles per month.

Export of body kits

Please note that when selling car body kits, you should not limit yourself to the geography of your region and even the country. For example, manufacturers of body kits for large Toyota SUVs, with whom we were able to communicate, export their products to countries such as the USA, Canada and even African republics (where “corners” are very popular due to their high reliability and cross-country ability).

The foreign exchange earnings of a manufacturer of car body kits can amount to up to half of the total sales volume. At the same time, profitability on the export of domestic tuning elements is higher on average by 25% compared to domestic Russian business indicators.

In the case of imported supplies, it is important to develop the ideal logistics option - since delivery costs can be quite significant, and careless transportation can damage an expensive body kit.
To present the released versions of body kits, you can post ready-made cases on the website. Often, clients may like the option you have already made, and if you have a ready-made matrix for it, the production process will be lower in cost than launching a new line into series. Custom development is more expensive, but also takes more time. Website development and optimization in search engines will cost approximately 10,000 -15,000 rubles.

What do we offer

Kenguryatnik by car. This is a structure made of curved metal pipes mounted on the front of the car in order to protect the body from damage in an accident. The installation of a dog guard is especially popular among SUV owners. When tuning, body kits give the jeep an aggressive and brutal look. A real man's car! For off-road trips, fishing or hunting, you can’t do without such an element. The radiator and the central part of the front bumper are the main objects for protection;
Front and rear bumper protection: arches and corners;
Thresholds in the form of pipes for greater comfort when landing;
Decorative trims for car fenders, as an element of car tuning.

Staff

As a rule, the number of employees involved in the production of fiberglass body kits is small. These are 2 craftsmen who will handle the entire volume of work performed, and a designer who will develop and visualize the layouts.

The payroll is about 400,000 rubles: each master receives 150-170 thousand and about 50,000 rubles for a visualization designer. The salary level is indicated for a Moscow manufacturing company; in the regions, specialists with a narrow profile are more difficult to find, but their costs will also be lower. As one of the options for resolving the issue of qualified personnel for a regional city with a population of one million, you can consider a paid internship for employees in one of the large ateliers of the Mother See.

Accounting and Internet marketing are usually ordered from incoming freelancers. Costs will be about 5,000 rubles for accounting and 10,000 rubles for the services of a director.

Pros and cons of tuned bumpers

Body elements that have undergone tuning have advantages and disadvantages. The positive aspects are as follows:

unique design;
strength of the made body part;
low cash costs.

The disadvantages are considered to be:

preferential time and effort costs for making changes;
requirements for registration of homemade overlays.

Thus, making a bumper for your own car is easy and simple if you have certain skills, materials and equipment.

Financial indicators

Average monthly turnover of the company

involved in the production of car body kits is about 1,200,000 - 1,300,000 rubles after reaching production capacity.
These are average figures for the year, which can vary from one million to one and a half million rubles. At the same time, there is no seasonality as such in this area of business - orders can pour in even in winter and during the summer holidays. Starting investments.
Initial costs to start a business do not exceed 2,000,000 rubles. They are formed mainly from the purchase of the necessary equipment and tools, as well as consumables (it’s realistic to keep within 1 million). It is also necessary to design and manufacture complex matrices for models - this is another order of 500,000 rubles. This amount also includes the rental of an office and production box (15,000 and 20,000 rubles, respectively), the purchase of furniture and office equipment (300,000 rubles), and software licenses (50,000 rubles).

Monthly expenses

for the functioning of the business will be about 400,000 rubles for the purchase of materials and production. The payroll is another 400,000 rubles. Investment in advertising and promotion is about another 30,000 rubles (20 rubles context + 10,000 rubles payment for specialist services).

Net profit.

The final net profit from the project is about 400,000 rubles per month. The payback period of the project is about 10 months.

It should be understood that you can reach a turnover of 1,000,000 rubles or more only by purchasing a ready-made business. It will take some time to promote the project from scratch. Typically, a project begins to generate income from 3-6 months of its operation, when regular orders from salons and through the network begin to arrive.

Manufacturing bumpers using professional equipment

If we are talking not about a single production, but about a batch of products, you will need professional equipment for the production of bumpers, a special workshop and appropriate technology.

Injection molding machine (TPA)
Injection molding machines are used as equipment for the production of bumpers, which perform plastic injection molding. Special granules are pre-prepared using the appropriate recipe. The mixture for their preparation includes ingredients such as polypropylene, rubber, light stabilizers, temperature stabilizers, etc. The recipe is designed in such a way that the final product has the necessary characteristics:

strength;
UV resistance;
resistance to temperature changes;
reliability, durability, etc.

Bumper made of ABS plastic for BMW X5 E 53
Before use, the granules are dried to avoid the formation of shells and other defects during the casting process. Then they are fed into injection molding machines, where finished parts are formed. In this case, the material is heated to a high temperature, turns into a liquid state and becomes suitable for casting. It is fed under pressure into a mold where it hardens.

The frozen workpieces are sent to workshops where they are cleaned and polished. The last stage in the production of bumpers is painting - for this they use special equipment or perform the operation manually.

After the product is ready, it undergoes a quality control procedure and enters the warehouse, from where it is transported to retail outlets. Products that come out of factory workshops are often better and more beautiful than those made by hand. This is due to the high level of automation and unification of all technological processes, which makes it possible to eliminate during the development process all factors that negatively affect the quality of the product.

Factory bumper for a car

Risks of the body kit business

Loss of employees.
The main risk of such a project is a possible outflow of personnel. Since the bulk of the work in production is done by craftsmen, some of them may eventually think about creating their own business, go to competitors, or move to another city where they can earn more. At the same time, by that time you will have already spent quite a decent amount on employee training.
Production risks.
Also, when producing body kits, you should always remember about the possible risks of making a mistake in the design, or spoiling the order with a low-quality matrix.
Costs from poor-quality transportation.
Don’t forget about logistics - there are often cases when orders worth 300,000 rubles or more were scratched during transportation, after which production had to return them and repair them. Don't forget to insure your cargo.

Materials

Today in the automotive industry, bumpers are made from several types of plastic:

Thermoplastic plastics (polyethylene, polypropylene). These materials differ in that when heated they turn into a fluid state, and when cooled they turn into a solid state. This property allows plastics to be given the desired shape many times.
Thermosetting plastics (polyurethane, fiberglass). A distinctive feature of such plastics is their polymerization, after which they cannot return to a viscous flow state. This imposes restrictions on the processing of bumpers made of these materials.

You will have to spend at least 3,500 thousand dollars on the purchase of materials.

Summary

In general, the production of body kits for cars is a very interesting and profitable business. At the same time, there is always room for growth - the international tuning market is huge, and the results of work are sometimes limited only by the imagination and financial capabilities of customers.

It is important that at the initial stage the business owner goes through all stages of production. It is necessary that the entrepreneur himself understands how the design and production process works. The first months you will have to literally live at work and work. Only after thoroughly establishing production, after some time will you be able to distance yourself from it and take up a new project or switch to passive income.

Denis Maleev

, director of a transport company, auto journalist, expert of the openbusiness.ru portal in the field of auto business Contact the author (c) www.openbusiness.ru - portal of business plans and guides for starting a small business
04/07/2020
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How to make a bumper yourself

Producing a body part on a car is quite labor-intensive work. Many car enthusiasts only carry out repairs. This work should be done carefully and slowly.

How to make a bumper with your own hands? First you need to analyze the action plan. Then you should transfer the work diagram to a piece of paper and prepare the necessary tools and materials.

Changes should not affect the bumper protection features. Only after tuning planning has been completed can construction begin. Based on what materials are needed, a list of tools and elements for changing the body kit are determined.

At the same time, before you start improving the body kit, you need to use a sample.

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When creating a bumper, the material of the future bumper is applied to the prototype. Thus, a “cast” is made. It is necessary when designing or repairing an original body part.

When upgrading the automotive matrix, it is recommended to use special plasticine, as it is resistant to any temperature influences.