Is The Cost Of Luxury Really High?

In the first two years when Prada was listed in Hongkong, analysts wanted to get some clues from Chinese prospectuses in their prospectus, but eventually did not get a clear message.

Over the past two years, some light luxury brands have been produced and processed in China or other developing countries. The manufacturing process is not complicated. Outsourcing production is considered necessary from cost to business aspects, but outsourcing production always gives people a limited sense of products.

In contrast, the high-end tabulation brand has been increasing investment in manufacturing in recent years. The new workshops of Patek Philippe and Jaeger Le Coulter were built in 2010, of which Patek Philippe's 14000 square meter workshop was used for core manufacturing, with 350 workers, plus two workshops with 1300 workers. Patek Philippe's new workshop will further improve the production process by installing production lines and machine equipment on the same floor. The layout of open shop is arranged according to the type of operation or equipment, so as to improve production efficiency.

In 2012, the scale of Rolex's core manufacturing facility built in Bill reached 92 thousand square meters, with 2000 employees. Rolex passed four newly built or rebuilt manufacturing plants (three other employees in Geneva, 4000 employees), and the production of all watches important parts such as internal control case, movement, dial and strap. In addition to production integration, Bill manufacturing also has an automated storage system. The automatic system has more than 46 thousand storage lattices, which can safely store parts and finished products, and quickly deliver parts to the workshop through 22 transceivers and 1.2 km of conveyor belts.

Cartire's 30 thousand square meter watch workshop in Switzerland has been established in 2000, with 1000 workers. In fact, as early as 70s, Cartire built factories in the area, but all the links in the watch production were scattered throughout the town. Prior to that, from the beginning of last century to 70s, Cartire was supplied by Jaeger Le Coulter with an annual output of only about 1000 watches. At present, Cartire and the six watches workshop of La Xia De Fang can meet the orders of more than 300 stores, 1200 wholesale customers and 21 branches in the world.

In order to be able to produce on demand, Edouard Mignon, director of Cartire watch production, said that the experience of lean production in Japan's just in time was used in the planning of the plant, so that the entire workshop could efficiently integrate 175 jobs, from raw materials to finished products within 30 meters, and lead time shortened to 20 days. Previously, it was estimated that a watch would need 250 days and 15 kilometers to complete. The 200 major R & D projects in parallel are completed in collaboration with more than 100 employees in the four story office building. From a creative watch to a sample, a watch is less than 300 meters away. Before integration, there are three steps not to be carried out in the workshop, while the remaining four steps are scattered in the various departments of the workshop, and the road reaches 170 km before and after.

Patek Philippe expanded its production space, but did not plan to expand its annual capacity of fifty thousand units, but increased the production scale of complex function watches. Since 2008, Cartire has entered the field of advanced complex function watch, turning from CPCP to fine watchmaking. Currently, there are nearly 20 master watchmakers in the workshop. They have more than ten years' experience and can independently complete a complex function wrist watch production.

In addition, the D''ART art masters series of enamel technology, fine work inlay and Pearl mother shell mosaic are also completed in this department. In addition, the La Xia Fang Fang workshop has more than 20 clocks for the maintenance of antique watches and clocks. Many hundred year old antique watches need to manually reproduce parts or even make maintenance tools when they are servicing, which takes months to repair.

Compared with tabulation process management, the production of high-grade jewelry is another scene. The creative inspiration of the watch can be unrestrained. The idea of high grade jewelry starts with the purchase of precious stones, and the sketches are drawn by the designers. When the jewelers get the design sketch, they need to rely on their ingenuity and artistic cell to create. The process of making a high grade jewelry often takes thousands of hours. It can be said that every high grade jewellery is unique. First of all, the gem itself is different, and it is made by different craftsmen, and more importantly, the workshop must ensure the uniqueness of its guests buying the high-end jewelry styles.

In the high-end jewelry workshop on the upper floor of Cartire store, 13 Heping Street, Paris, in addition to some modern equipment assistance, most of them keep the production process of the traditional high jewelry workshop over the past more than 100 years. There are 70 craftsmen in the workshop, including 40 jewelers. Others include mosaic, polished, jewel cutter, jewellery watch and casting teacher. This is very rare in the field of high jewellery. The workshop of 10-20 people is even big workshop.

Van Cleef & Arpels, another high-end jewelry shop in Paris, has renovated two years in the workshop of Fang Deng square. After its completion in 2012, it doubled its area to 360 square meters, and 40 craftsmen. Van Cleef & Arpels is famous for its secret inlay. In addition, before making high jewelry, tin and fake gemstones will be used to make models that are exactly the same as genuine ones, so as to determine the style, technology and price of the final products.

In the era of brand name, many Luxury brand All hope to expand product lines to increase sales. However, advanced tabulation and advanced jewellery are totally two fields, so it is difficult to cross the boundary, let alone those brands from other fields.

In fact, the quality control of manufacturing is better than that of manufacturing. Brand promotion There are many difficulties, and the ability of personnel training and management takes a long time to accumulate. In order to cultivate the watchmaker, Cartire specialized in a four year school in La Xia De Fang. The tuition fee is free, but the entrance threshold is very high. The school has only 30 trainees throughout the year. At this rate, you can imagine how difficult it is to expand the production of advanced watches, and the higher jewellery is subject to the output of precious stones. Clocks and clocks Luxury goods production The industry barrier is so high that it can be seen.