UGEARS: the story of a startup born in the kitchen
His Work / / December 26, 2019
In early 2014, Ukrainian designer Denis Okhrimenko planned to deliver the products in wooden boxes by design. To raise money for a business project, first began selling Okhrimenko just designers - without food inside. In 2014, he had several times shown a grocery project to potential investors, but the idea of a food delivery they are not inspired. But a project to create wooden mechanical puzzles I liked. Especially that Denis had already been able to show live example - a prototype of a wooden casket.
When he found the first investor in Okhrimenko had money to rent two machines for cutting wood. It is now in Ukrainian Gears team of about 50 people, and then Denis collected sheets with the details set in the kitchen and packed himself as a courier was waiting outside the door. Four or five orders per month were considered a great success.
Apparently, a budding entrepreneur realized that the ordinary wooden puzzles, which at that time were already known in the market, the buyer does not catch. Then he came up with the idea of creating not just designers, but the similarity of the wooden steampunk fantasy. Denis interested complex mechanisms hours-skeletons (those in which the gears are visible), and an unusual embodiment ideally suited for mechanical designers.
If you look at today's models, The spirit of steampunk and likeness of the watch-skeletons are truly present. Designers work due to the mechanics and all the internal mechanisms visible. Some buyers even want to add a model of realism, but Ohrimenko is not going to do that.
After all, we both expressionist artists, we are not working in realism. It is important that the body was transparent to visible mechanism was, it at us - an important part of the design.
Denis Okhrimenko, founder UGEARS
Wooden mechanical designers UGEARS They have nothing to do with entertainment, to which we are accustomed today. To truly fall in love with the designer, when it gets to your hands. Most likely, so a start was not great sales until puzzle is not present at the exhibition.
In the spring of 2014 Denis tried to trade on their own designers on Andrew's descent. He walked around the local vendors, showed them the prototypes, but refused to take the constructors for the implementation, although usually only model caused excitement among the people.
After several unsuccessful attempts Okhrimenko decided to try to sell the puzzle itself. Located in the same place, on Andrew. Began to approach foreigners, families with children, and the whole party, the entrepreneur showed sellers, flew on the first day.
To save Okhrimenko not immediately wanted to collect the parts made of wood. First, the base material was to be cardboard. But it quickly wears out. Denis tried plastic and acrylic, but they did not give the desired result. Empirically it found out that the material is better than wood plywood, for these purposes is not found.
Depending on the model, the number of parts in each set is different. IN locomotiveFor example, 443 details, safe - 179, and in small tribikah - only 25. And when you create every detail accuracy is paramount. Now from a single sheet of plywood details drawings laser cuts with human hair thickness. In the workshop UGEARS worth just 16 of those.
At the end of 2015, to establish a rapid and cost-effective production, Dennis launched a campaign on Kickstarter. She brought unexpected success: on the puzzles learned in Japan, Taiwan, China, orders and suggestions on the implementation of went from there. The Japanese really like that the designers completely mechanical: they come alive only due to timbering and gums. As the conventional wooden fasteners used toothpicks and gum are launchers elements.
In a sense, this is a truly unique product in the market. Okhrimenko categorically opposed to UGEARS compared with designers LEGO. However, he does not hide that he wants to achieve the same world-famous for wooden 3D-puzzle.
Designers are designed for people aged 25-40, the web they have long known under the code name "adult toys". At first glance it seems that designers UGEARS - pleasure only for men. But modeling and addicted women. To prove it, the company released the end of last year mechanical flowerAnd it quickly gained popularity among women with an engineering mindset.
Now the company has in stock about a hundred ideas for new designers - from the phone book to a gramophone with wooden plates. To develop a single model can take up to eight months - that is how much engineers have come up with a wooden mechanical safe.
In just two and a half years UGEARS became a designer with a story that in a few years will know no worse than the stories about the appearance of fast food McDonald's or Ford cars.