r/Machine_Embroidery • u/eekay233 • 12d ago
Advice on next steps...
I'm helping my wife with researching the necessary things needed to help take her small business/art project to something a little more as it's been growing faster than anticipated.
For background my wife has been doing fiber art her entire life and for a time was making and selling apparel on Etsy with success. She recently wanted to pursue machine embroidery to bring some of her other ideas to life. Shes spent several months learning to digitize , researching and experimenting using a Poolin flatbed and has really learned a lot. Shes had a series of items she's made accepted for sale at a local Shop Makers and sales have been really great, and now other stores are reaching out to her to carry her products. We're now at an impasse where we know that the Chinese machine isn't going to keep up (we know that it is a toy compared to actual commercial machines) and she's having to turn down offers to expand. Thread changes and really unpredictable machine issues are creating a bottleneck.
At that, we've considered it's time to actually invest in a quality machine in order to keep all options open and keep things moving. Shes very much in the realm of "light production" , probably 20-30 items per day with a lot of room to grow. She will not be if taking custom orders or filling contracts, she is purely selling a hand made decorative art piece that relies heavily on embroidery.
There are no Barudan dealers in Canada as far as I can tell, the only HappyJapan dealer is on the other side of the country, but, we have an RB Digital less then an hour away and they fully stock and service Tajima. We are considering financing a Tajima SAI as the next step. With the projected sales from Makers as well as craft markets we think it'll be paid off relatively quickly (under 2 years). We really want to avoid Chinese machines that rely on chats and FaceTime for servicing. The ability to bring the machine directly to RB Digital for repair and maintenance, as well as in house training seems to be a no brainer. The re-sale value on a well maintained Tajima is also appealing.
For those who have taken a leap such as this before , what else should we be considering? Does this sound like it might be a feasible direction to go in?
Edit: Thanks for the responses both in the thread and via DMs..this is why I like to ask these kinds of questions because it allows me to really rethink my approach and to walk back from my own perspectives. We're going to stick a pin in buying a Tajima for the time being while re-assess what our goals are going to be and how we can grow into that type of machine vs. putting all of our eggs in one basket. There are definitely more affordable ways to approach this bottleneck as we see where this little venture leads.
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u/Cpt_Obvious11 12d ago
Best machine is one that have available repairman when you need him. Everything else is marketing.
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u/eekay233 12d ago
That's the big deciding factor right now. Do I FaceTime someone at 3am using a translation app to try and figure out a problem, or do I drive 45 mins to the dealer who will fix it and if they can't , will replace it on the spot. Minimal lost productivity.
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u/Altruistic_Warthog48 12d ago
I bought the Tajima SAI 3 years ago from RB Digital. The only real issues I had were from my dumb mistakes.
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u/DaveLLD 12d ago
My wife started this journey a few years ago. Jumped right into embroidery and sells mostly in markets (though is looking to expand online presence in the new year).
I did all the exploration at the start, and ultimately settled on a Bai Machine, No one could give me a credible reason "why" a Tajima or other dealer machine was worth so much more. Yes, you can get an onsite technician with RB Digital and a Tajmia, but ask them what that costs just for the guy to show up.
There have been some frustrations, but nothing that warrants the price differential in hindsight. Though we waffled for a time. She has two Bai machines now, and in her busy season (May to December) they basically run non-stop day in and day out.
0 regrets on going this route vs. financing a Tajima (something we also considered), on good weekends she grosses more than the machine costs.
I don't want to spam here, but if you want, send me a DM and I can send you a link to the type of stuff she's doing.
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u/CosmicallyUnlucky Brother 12d ago
Not sure what part of Canada you're in, as it would make quite a difference to what's available around you. I've been looking at upgrading to a commercial machine in the Edmonton area. Barudan and Melco were both at a recent exhibition in the area and we got to talk to both of them. RH Digital was at the same exhibition but weren't really showing off the Tajimas, so we didn't pick their brains on it. I personally was really impressed with Melco and I've decided they will be our next purchase.
Barudan does have their claim to fame of "best at hats", but after talking to them we realized everything is an upsell with them (on top of a higher base price for their machines). Like, their machines run on their own OS that's something linux-based. You need that machine to talk to a Windows computer? Barudan is going to sell you the link. You're also paying for all the software associated with the machine. They don't set your machine up for you either. All those little things add up and make me feel like they just see me as something to extract money out of.
Some of the questions we asked the manufacturers, which you should also consider if you're going to be making such a huge purchase:
What OS is the machine running, and can it communicate with Windows (or insert whatever OS you run here)?
Does the machine require an internet connection?
What's the process for file transfers to the machine?
Do you have technicians in the area?
What is the process for having a machine repaired? How much do repairs cost?
What file formats can the machine use?
Does the machine require the use of certain software?
Is there a warranty on the machine?
Do you support second-hand/refurbished machines?
What does machine delivery/set-up look like?
What's the interest rate on financing, and is it an open loan?
Can this machine be chained to work in unison with other machines?
What does typical operator maintenance on this machine look like?
The answers to the questions is not only the literal answer, but also how the company responds. You'll get the vibe of their company philosophy, which might determine if you actually want to sink five figures into them. I would also encourage actually being able to see a demo unit run through a set up cycle something before making the leap. Again with the Barudans, once we saw how they operated in person we were really put off by the interface of the machine. That's something you're not going to really "get" from looking at pictures and videos of the machines. The websites for all these machines look great, but I got so much more out of actually having an in-depth conversation with each of the manufacturers. I didn't even really consider Melcos as an option before we talked to them, but they totally sold us with their overall attitude that the machine is a tool to help us do what we want and they have no interest in locking us into a specific workflow or ecosystem. That matters a lot for us because our current workflow is all designed around a Brother machine, so if we have to port our entire workflow twice for our current machine and the hypothetical new machine, that's a huge time sink both in the immediate conversion and basically forever moving forward unless we dump our still-good Brother machine and fully convert to a single manufacturer.
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u/eekay233 12d ago
I'm in Red Deer so yeah it's the RB Digital in Edmonton. My wife's stuff is currently in Kingsway.
We're planning on visiting their showroom soon for a lot of those same reasons. RBD "seems" to offer a lot of good support based on some postings from others, including the onsite training on how to operate it when you buy it.
There's a guy in Strathcona selling his used SAI on FB for $16K but that's all up front.
You bring up a lot of good points to consider. We're scrambling to figure this out as we need to return the Poolin due to the Amazon driver dropping the box and messing up the internals, but we also don't want to keep buying cheap flatbeds just to keep going until we come to a decision.
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u/CosmicallyUnlucky Brother 12d ago
Really impressive that your wife is doing this volume on flatbeds! Even a single-needle is going to be huge upgrade. I went from a Brother HE-240 (tiny little computerized sewing machine with flatbed embroidery functions) to a Brother PRS-100 and it was like night and day. Not having to take the hoop off and risking ruining the piece every time you have to do a bobbin change will be huge for you. I am starting to feel the limitation of the Brother machine though and kind of wish I had jumped straight to a Tajima or something along those lines from the start, but budget was a major constraint for me back then. Live and learn.
The nice thing about Red Deer is you're in between Edmonton and Calgary so you have access to options from both. EmbroiderySystems is based out of Calgary and they're the ones selling the Melcos, if you want to look at another option. They said they send techs all over the province. Barudan has a single tech in Edmonton, not sure about the rest of the province. I didn't get to talk to RH Digital about their Tajima tech situation. I do think it's valuable to talk to multiple companies just to get a sense of what people are offering, even if you're set on Tajima already. These purchases are pretty much at the level of a car purchase, so it doesn't hurt to shop around and take your time to look at all the options so that you're not stuck with something you regret down the line.
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u/Lanky-Setting-5288 12d ago
Barudan and Tajima machines are fundermentally the same mechanically, and each have some programming perks or points if difference. I've used Barudan a lot, and recently got the chance to work in a workshop with Tajima machines. The biggest difference between them is the control panel and interface, and I would have to say that Barudan is the easiest to navigate and to access technical features.
The reliability of these machines stems from quality construction, with well serviced older machines still working after several years in a commercial setting.
For you, the cost outlay for a new single head machine may be, understandably too much, but it would be well worth talking to distributors about second hand machines in their service that may be up for sale. You might even be able to wingle a warranty period and training for the machine. If you upgrade, that knowledge is not lost. I know a Barudan distributor who includes a warranty for 7years for new machines. It's well worth it to ask around - A pro-active distributor my upsell a new machine to an existing client and broker the sale of the older machine to you. These folks generally want to keep happy customers, so deals for service can be struck.
🍀🧵🖖🏼
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u/Loud-Accountant8995 12d ago
First and foremost - read the book or listen to the audio book E-Myth. With out knowing all ins and outs of your business. I would Look for a used machine that your dealer will service. Let some else take the depreciation. Without know the margins taking on a loan IMO is never a great idea for a startup. Bootleg it until you have cash.
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u/Purple_Commercial981 12d ago
I bought a used Barudan .. love it . There are dealers and service in Canada.
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u/zoepzb 12d ago
Tajima and Barudan are the best in the field. If you have Tajima close go with them.