How to organize a welding business? How to make money from welding? In the modern construction market, there are many areas of activity that can bring real profit with small initial investments. One of these areas is the welding business, the metal welding business. This is extremely in demand among the population, since in the life of almost every person there are situations when something needs to be welded, brewed or boiled, but not everyone can do it on their own, since it requires not only an investment of funds, but also special knowledge and the availability of funds personal protection.
This type of activity is also quite popular among entrepreneurs who concentrate exclusively on welding work, which is why you should be prepared in advance for serious competition.
Welding work: business plan
Where to start creating your own business? A very important part of running a business that should never be missed is a business plan. Welding work for an employment center is one of the promising areas of employment for citizens.
Before starting any business (the welding business is no exception), you should carefully consider the business plan for the future project in order to calculate the tactics and strategy for running the business before starting work and investing funds. You should not assume that the welding business means opening your own construction company. At the first stage, all attention should be concentrated not on providing a wide range of services, but primarily on gaining a reputation and developing a client base.
This is how the welding business was born. How to make money on welding work, since this is a specific service that is not as widely in demand as, for example, sales of essential items? But it seems so only at first glance, since the construction industry, metalworking and even just the household sector cannot do without the services of a welder.
First steps: registering a company
Having decided to engage in the provision of services in the field of welding work, you should register as a business entity. There are several registration options. It all depends on the expected volume of work. If you plan to serve exclusively a small circle of individuals, then it will be enough to simply obtain the status of an individual entrepreneur. If in the future you plan to cooperate with large or medium-sized construction companies, then it is best to register as a legal entity. The most optimal option may be to organize an LLC, since this form of entrepreneurship has two advantages: a simplified taxation scheme and the absence of liability in the form of movable and immovable property. This is the first thing that implies the opening of such a business as welding. The business plan must certainly contain this point.
Stage two: looking for premises
The next step will be to find suitable premises for organizing an office. Of course, some small companies accept orders exclusively via the Internet or by phone, but having a small (no more than 30 m2) office will look more respectable and will have a positive impact on your reputation.
Promoting the service
It is not worth discarding the media of mass communication, since they will become the main engines of the future enterprise due to regularly placed advertising. At first, it will be enough to submit advertisements in free newspapers; later, as the business expands, radio and television may be involved. In addition, it would be useful to create your own website on the Internet, which will also become a tool for accepting orders.
Step three: finding employees
What else does welding work require? The business plan should include such an item as personnel selection. At the first stage, if the organizer of the entire event has work experience, then he can begin to provide welding services himself. But in the future, in any case, you will have to hire workers, preferably professionals with work experience behind them. It is best to form a small mobile team of a couple of people and a foreman who also know how to operate a welding machine. At first this will be enough. Perhaps the possibility of contacting an employment center for personnel selection will have to be included in the business plan. Welding work must be carried out competently, so only specialists should be involved in this.
How to make money in the welding business
Any small business that provides services will make a profit only if there is a good volume of work. Finding orders (and not just orders, but good ones) should be one of the points of the business plan.
Welding Business Ideas: Review of Business Ideas
First of all, this is the production of household metal objects that will be in demand among a wide range of consumers. This may include all kinds of gratings, fences, barbecues, and household items for a country house plan. This item also includes the production of metal stoves.
Quite a wide-profile welding business. How to make more money from welding? You can launch such a direction as providing auto body repair services. The main customers here will also be ordinary individuals with cars. Currently, these are the majority. A big advantage of this type of activity will be savings on advertising; word of mouth will work great, since motorists are sociable people and like to advise friends and acquaintances of places where they received quality service.
The third area of activity, the largest, which will be available after a small conquest of the market, will be the provision of services to large companies operating either in the construction industry or engaged in the production of metal structures. A municipality can also be a good large customer, but this may require connections or authority.
Welding business: price issue
We looked at how to start a business like welding. The business plan, among other things, must necessarily include an estimate of the costs of both opening and further current or unforeseen expenses. Initial investments will require an investment of no more than half a million rubles, which will be spent mainly on the purchase of equipment and the creation of normal working conditions that not only meet safety requirements, but also satisfy all interested services, such as Gospezhnadzor and SES. You will also need to purchase protective clothing, preferably high-quality one.
The welding shop room must be equipped with a draft and forced ventilation system, portable screens made of ignition-resistant material, and good wiring must be installed to cope with the planned capacity. The welder’s station itself, in addition to the welding inverter, must be equipped with a holder, terminals, gas and oxygen cylinders with a special trolley for transporting them, and a transformer.
The welding business, the metal welding business, is not as complicated as it might seem at first glance. With proper management, it will be able to generate real income with small initial investments.
Welding work is widely used in construction, agriculture, transport repair, industrial production, that is, where metal parts need to be joined. To carry out welding work, special welding equipment is required.
The described welding business idea is not about creating a very large company engaged in welding work, but rather about creating a business that specializes in small-volume welding work and does not require large financial investments and a large number of employees.
To properly set up a business dealing with welding services, you must first carefully develop an appropriate business plan. Let's talk about this now and talk in more detail.
Organization of a welding company
For successful business development, it is best and most profitable to open an organization with a multidisciplinary base. The proposed organization can engage not only in welding metal pipes, but also gas welding, electric welding, argon-arc welding, air-flame cutting and much more.
Required premises
First you need to find a suitable premises for a welding company. It can be purchased as property or rented. It all depends on your budget. The most important thing when choosing a suitable room is that welding work requires certain spaces. Mainly to accommodate special work equipment.
Purchasing the necessary equipment
Of course, to perform welding work you will need appropriate specialized equipment. It is mandatory to purchase electric welding equipment: transformer, welding inverters, plasma cutting, torches for semi-automatic welding machines, welding cables.
To perform gas welding you will need gases
cylinders, special blowtorches, gas reducers, cutters, burners, acetylene generators. Don't forget about the welding table and plasma cutting table. You will also need fan heaters, compressors, and units. I would also like to note that in places where welding work is carried out, power cables and, of course, fire extinguishers must be present.
Required Personnel
Only good professionals, as they say, masters of their craft, can carry out high-quality welding work. That is why it is very important here to find specialists with such qualifications that will bring glory to the welding business. At the same time, you should not save on wages for welders, since such services have always been rated very highly.
Organizing advertising and searching for clients
Surely everyone knows that the successful start of any business depends on good advertising. A good option for advertising in this business is posting information on the Internet. You can advertise in the city newspaper.
Business cards are also a good advertisement for your welding business idea. It is recommended to leave them with each of your clients. And you can rest assured that a qualified and inexpensive customer will definitely remember it. And if he doesn’t order the work, he will certainly recommend your company to someone.
And, of course, the best advertisement will be the high quality of any welding work. This has already been discussed a little higher. If you establish yourself well at the very initial stage and acquire a regular clientele, then in the future you will no longer have to spend money on an advertising company.
Making calculations
The necessary set of small welding equipment will cost you between 300,000 rubles. But if you don’t have such funds, then don’t be upset, because nowadays you can rent one. Financial costs will also go towards purchasing a premises of considerable size, since welding equipment will require a certain amount of space. Small expenses, about 3,000 rubles a month, will also be spent on advertising. In total, all costs for opening a welding business will be approximately 400,000 - 500,000 rubles (together with utility costs, wages and other expenses).
Now let's calculate the income of this welding business. Let’s assume that you will complete 15 orders per month costing 13,000 rubles each (average price). You will have two welders working for you. In total, your monthly income will be approximately 195,000 rubles. Your monthly income will be about 120,000 rubles. Total net income per month will be approximately 75,000 rubles. This means that all expenses spent on opening a welding business can be recouped in about a year of work with regular orders.
A welding business can be organized to carry out custom welding work or to produce welded structures. This is a profitable business, but difficult to organize. In addition, it has high requirements for personnel qualifications. But you don’t need to obtain any licenses to organize it. There are enough certificates for metals used in production.
First steps in organization
A plan for organizing a welding business begins with assessing the sales market. Let's say, if your business is aimed at individuals, then your form of organization is not important to them. Quality work is more important to them. If you target your business to legal entities, it is easier for them to work with an officially registered business. But even if your plan does not initially reach an industrial scale, you should focus on its further expansion. Therefore, it is better to register an LLC or individual entrepreneur. Moreover, for working with legal entities, LLC is better.
When registering, you should select OKVED No. 28.52 “Processing of metal products using basic technological processes of mechanical engineering” and a simplified taxation system. At the same time, you can start looking for premises for a welding shop.
For a business to be profitable, it is logical to look for premises with low rent. But there are certain requirements for the premises for such a workshop. First of all, it must accommodate the necessary equipment and leave enough space for staff to work. In addition, the electrical network must withstand high loads. For business profitability, rent should not exceed 700 rubles. per square meter.
Search for qualified workers
At the same stage, your plan for opening a workshop should include finding competent welders, which is not such an easy task. You need not just an experienced worker, but a qualified universal welder of at least the fifth category. This means that he carries out welding work on structures, steam pipelines, high-pressure pipelines, and critical metal structures. It is advisable that he have experience in welding pipelines, installing hot water supply systems, and car repairs.
The work can be carried out by less qualified employees, but certain requirements are also imposed on them. They must be dexterous, resilient and strong, otherwise they simply will not be able to perform a number of jobs. Please note that welding work is harmful to the eyes and lungs, so high salaries for welders and additional social security must be included in the business opening plan. Of course, labor safety and worker protection must come to the fore. For safe work you need to purchase:
- protective clothing;
- shields or masks;
- canvas mittens;
- leggings;
- balaclavas.
But these costs will pay off, since qualified personnel will help retain clients, find new ones through recommendations and create a good image for the company.
Investments in business
To open a welding shop in a garage of approximately 25 square meters. m., you will have to invest at least 500 thousand rubles. First of all, this money will be spent on organizing working conditions for welders in accordance with the requirements of the fire inspection and SES. In accordance with them, the workshop must be equipped with a common hood and separate ones for each workplace. Each such place must be fenced off with special screens so that light rays do not fall on other workshop employees. As already mentioned, the workshop must be equipped with powerful and working electrical wiring. In winter it must be heated.
Equipment costs depend on the type of welding and the scale of production. If your plan includes industrial volumes, you cannot do without a professional inverter. Its cost starts from 15 thousand rubles. At low speeds you can get by with a household one. Resistance welding equipment will cost approximately the same price. Such equipment consists of a number of units connected in series to each other. Thus, equipment for manual arc welding consists of a welding converter - a device that converts three-phase mains current into a current of 25-40 V. Then it passes to the electrode holder, which supplies current to the electrode, and the product being welded. The latter should be on a metal welding table.
In addition to special equipment, the business plan must include the purchase of materials for welding:
- electrodes;
- gases;
- fluxes;
- welding wire;
- ceramic gaskets.
At a minimum, welders will need metal stamps, a steel brush, a special hammer and chisel, and a bag or box for tools and electrodes. Other additional equipment includes an angle grinder, gas hoses, oxygen cylinders, a propane cutter, and grounding terminals. To purchase and transport equipment, include the purchase of a delivery van in your plan.
Income amounts
In order for your business to generate income all year round, it is important to choose the right direction of activity. Barbecues, metal structures, fences, decorative grilles, and household metal objects are very popular. Another equally popular area is car body repair work. In this direction, it is enough to develop a small client base, and word of mouth will ensure your success. Of course, with a conscientious attitude towards the matter. The third option is focused on a large-scale plan of work to provide welding services to construction companies, municipalities, etc. This is the most profitable area, but it can only be mastered with good authority.
The price for the work varies depending on the complexity and type of welding. For example, when welding with stick electrodes, each centimeter of a seam will cost the client 15 rubles. When using argon arc welding – from 25 rubles. If we are talking about spot welding - already 40 rubles. The most profitable business is pipe welding. The cost of one joint starts from 150 rubles.
But other areas of business can bring more income. For example, it is worth including welding of gratings and fences in the plan. If you make designs without frills, the price for them varies between 1.5-2.5 thousand rubles. per linear meter. Decorative items cost from 3 thousand rubles. You can get a little more for swing bars - 4 thousand rubles. Forged decorative grilles are the most expensive. They cost from 8 thousand rubles. per linear meter.
conclusions
According to practical experience, the profitability of this business can reach
80%. This is a very high indicator for entrepreneurial activity. Payback depends on the scale of organized production, but on average it is 1.5-2 years. This period is significantly influenced by the quality of the services provided. And it, in turn, depends on the materials used, raw materials, and welding techniques. Not to mention the highly qualified staff. But if you take into account all these nuances, then there is every chance to take your business to a high level.
Those who want to become welders become welders earn big money. The fact is that this profession is considered far from safe. During welding, the worker breathes manganese, which, being a neurotropic poison, causes neurotoxicosis. In second place in the list of occupational diseases is pneumoconiosis, followed by occupational eczema and, of course, asthma and bronchitis.
Of course, welders understand this. “This profession has always been in demand, although dangerous,” says labor market expert Nikolai Zaitsev. “The demand for installation work is especially high, for which the employer or customer is willing to pay the highest rates.” However, there are nuances that must be taken into account.
Where to start a welding business
It is believed that welders gravitate towards individual earnings. An analysis of the forums revealed the following patterns: workers in this profession prefer to work urgently, while receiving earnings comparable to bank managers. For example, earnings of 30 thousand rubles in factories seem meager to many. This is why online discussions on the topic “where welders get paid a lot” are popular.
“In the glorious city of Vladivostok, on the reconstruction of heating units, I earned 60 thousand rubles on piecework for two manufactured and installed units,” a morgmail forum member shares his experience. “Even though it was a seasonal job, you can earn more.”
The welder claims that he completed this job in 100 hours.
But this is rather an exception. Welders claim that it is difficult to earn more than forty thousand rubles on a shift. “I worked in Kolyma the year before last,” writes Igor Krylov. - We paid 120 thousand over the summer, although travel and food were free. In small towns, this money seems huge.”
One is good, but two is better
Meanwhile, at large orders for the installation of iron structures prices are quoted at 300 or even 350 rubles per hour. In other words, in the high season, for a 12-hour emergency work day, a welder can earn up to 4,200 rubles or 90 thousand per month. “As you can see, there is a significant difference,” explains Nikolai Zaitsev. - This margin either goes to the income of the customer company or is divided among the foremen. Therefore, the easiest way to earn money is in a team that carries out large turnkey orders.”
“My wife worked as an estimator in a construction company,” says Igor Krylov. “So she considered that fulfilling a total order was much more profitable than working one at a time.” At the same time, the welder recognizes that the process of agreeing on a contract price requires a certain knowledge of cost estimates. And in fact, when organizing a team or artel to perform large volumes of welding work, workers must hire a professional estimator who will be able to estimate the real cost of the order based on the object being built. We are talking about obtaining a subcontract for all types of welding work.
Together - we are force
The legal form of an artel can be very different, but experts advise working under the guise of an LLC - a limited liability company. In this case, the procedure for receiving an order will be simplified, since all controversial issues related to VAT will be removed. “Buying such a company, with a seal and a bank account, will not be difficult: just contact a law office,” advises Nikolai Zaitsev. - They will buy it back after the order is completed, so as not to have problems with reporting during the “off season”.
This form of work eliminates many problems, including wages. In particular, welders complain about delayed salaries, while management receives money on time. In addition, it is easier for an artel or brigade to defend their interests by threatening an immediate suspension of work. 
It is also important that welding team, having its own bank account, can spend funds on labor protection. “When I worked alone, at the end of the working day I always had a headache and found it hard to breathe,” says Vasily Makarov, a welder from an organized team. - Now we bought everyone for 2,300 rubles and devices for forced supply of clean air for 11 thousand rubles. The situation has changed dramatically. Not a single respirator, even the best one, will protect one hundred percent from chromic anhydride, from vanadium trioxide and its pentoxide dust and other harmful substances.”
Issues with welding machines are also professionally resolved. For example, a customer may offer devices whose operation is associated with professional difficulties: the arc does not light up immediately or its size is larger than desired, there is metal spattering, and so on. Or, even worse, they may be required to work with their personal equipment, accelerating its wear and tear. “Once we were fulfilling a large order,” explains Igor Krylov. “The foreman gave out cheap Chinese machines that were very difficult to cook with, although, as we later found out, the company had purchased good ones.”
Thus, self-organization of welders into teams with full legal support can not only significantly increase wages, but also provide work with reliable personal protective equipment and high-quality welding machines.
Welded metal structures are widely used in construction, the automotive industry and furniture production. Compared to other methods of connecting metal parts and workpieces, welding is more economical, less labor-intensive, and at the same time high-quality and reliable. If you organize the work of a master correctly, welding as a business can become very profitable. How to open your own workshop and how much it costs is further in the article.
Welding shop premises
When drawing up a plan for starting a business, you should first of all take into account the requirements for premises in which electric welding work is carried out, established at the legislative level. Several workplaces (posts) can be located in one room at the same time, provided that they are separated from each other.
Moreover, if electric welding work will be carried out systematically, then the posts should be placed in separate cabins, the walls of which are made of fireproof materials. If manual arc welding will be performed, and this process will be unsystematic, then screens with a height of at least 1.8 m made of non-combustible materials can be installed between the posts.
The room must have a good exchange ventilation system. Ventilation removal of gases and fresh air supply must be provided at all workplaces.
The area of a separate area intended for an electric welding installation must be at least 10 square meters. m, of which at least 3 sq. m must be free from equipment and materials. In addition, in order to ensure safety and convenience of work, it is necessary to provide passages with a width of at least 0.8 m.
The workshop floor must be made of non-combustible materials. It will be necessary to equip a fire shield and place primary fire extinguishing equipment on it.
Note: it is better to entrust the design of the power supply system to specialists. To create an optimal low-voltage power supply scheme for a workshop, you need to take into account the layout of the equipment, the power of electrical receivers, and calculate the power load.
An electric welding transformer and an input power supply panel must be installed in the workshop. It should be possible to connect each welding machine to a separate switch with a wire of the appropriate cross-section. The housing of any power source and the housing of the welding installations themselves should be reliably grounded. The equipment must be protected by fuses on the supply side.
When choosing a room for a welding workshop, it is advisable to contact representatives of the fire inspection service for clarification regarding fire safety requirements. Work cannot begin until the workshop is completely satisfactory, which, by the way, needs to be confirmed.
Documents for starting a business
A conclusion on the compliance of the workshop premises with fire safety requirements is not the only document that an entrepreneur will need. In addition, it is necessary to obtain a sanitary and epidemiological certificate from Rospotrebnadzor. But you need to start not even with this, but with registering the welding shop as a business with the tax service.
You can register either as an individual entrepreneur (see), or as a legal entity (see,). The organizational and legal form should be chosen based on the scale of the planned activity and the range of clients with whom the entrepreneur will work.
Note: before submitting an application for registration of business activity, you should determine the appropriate economic activity codes in accordance with the latest edition of OKVED. The choice of code depends on what materials, devices and objects the welding shop will work with.
So, if communication systems are being installed, then code 43.22 “Plumbing work, installation of heating systems and air conditioning systems” should be indicated. If welded pipes will be produced, then it is worth including in the application code 24.20 “Production of steel pipes, hollow sections and fittings,” etc.
When registering a business, it is advisable to immediately choose the appropriate taxation system. So, if a company will cooperate primarily with legal entities working with VAT, then it is better to use the GST (general taxation system). If the target audience is private customers, then you can choose the simplified tax system (simplified taxation system). Useful to read.
In the process of carrying out the activities of a welding workshop, additional documents may be required. The need for their presence is determined by the types of welding work, the category of objects where welders will work, and the level of environmental pollution. An approximate list of what may be required:
- admission of a self-regulatory organization (SRO) to carry out welding work;
- permission to release harmful substances into the air;
- production waste passport.
In addition, it is necessary, by orders of the manager, to appoint those responsible for ensuring labor protection, fire safety, and welding work. All welding machines must have passports and certificates of conformity. To carry out work, you must issue a work permit and be sure to keep a briefing log.
Workshop staff
Finding employees to carry out welding work is not an easy task, so this point is worth dwelling on in more detail. It is advisable that the enterprise employ generalists. This will allow you to reach a large target audience and provide clients with a wide range of services. The most popular are:
- welders of the third category - craftsmen working with the main sections of metal structures;
- welders of the fifth category - carry out welding of important areas, work with high-pressure pipes, steam pipelines, etc.;
- Welders of the sixth category are the most valuable specialists who perform welding work on critical sections of pipelines and metal structures.
An employee can only be allowed to carry out orders if he has a number of documents:
- welder's certificate;
- electrical safety certificate (group no lower than 2);
- certificate of completion of the PTM (fire-technical minimum) for hot work.
Welding work has a harmful effect on the human body. This fact should be taken into account when setting tariffs for services and determining wages.
Welding shop equipment
Equipping a welding workshop with the necessary equipment will not be difficult for a person who knows the specifics of this field of activity. A beginner will have a more difficult time making a choice. Therefore, it is worth acting consistently.
First, you need to determine the list of work carried out in the workshop and make a list of the equipment and furniture that are needed for this. Next, you need to decide on a budget. Then choose the best options in terms of price and quality.
To open a welding workshop you will need:
- welders;
- tables for welding work;
- metal processing tools;
- generators;
- protective equipment.
The cheapest equipment is Chinese-made. However, it will be significantly inferior in quality to European units. Russian equipment is average in quality and price. It is not necessary to purchase new devices; you can buy used ones, and over time, as your business expands, buy newer and more advanced models.
The welding machine is the main tool in the workshop. It allows you to connect and separate metal parts. Based on the principle of operation, ease of use and functionality, welding machines are divided into several types: transformers, rectifiers, semi-automatic machines, inverters, argon units, devices for spot welding and installations for plasma welding.
The welding table serves to ensure the convenience and safety of the work of the master. Generators are necessary to maintain the work process in case of power supply problems. Tools for metal processing (for example, a drill, metal shears, a grinder, etc.) will be needed to perform auxiliary work.
Protective equipment - overalls, shields, masks, canvas gloves, balaclavas, etc. - are needed to ensure the safety of welders during work.
Search for clients
In order for welding as a business to generate high income, you need to choose the right direction of activity. Among private clients, services for the production of barbecues, frames for greenhouses, fencing, fences, gratings and various decorative products are in demand. A popular area is car body repair. It is also beneficial to cooperate with large construction companies. Experienced welders are needed at any stage of building construction.
To promote the services of a welding shop, you can use advertising on social networks and on large advertising sites. It is recommended to print flyers and/or business cards with contact information and a list of services and place them in the mailboxes of people living in the private sector. It must be said that such a business does not need active advertising. If the first few people who use the workshop’s services are satisfied, then an influx of new clients is guaranteed. The so-called word of mouth is the main engine of this business.
Price policy
The cost of welding work is calculated separately in each case and depends on:
- type of equipment required;
- volume of work;
- speed of order fulfillment (urgency).
The average price for basic services is shown in the table:
If the work is not carried out in the workshop itself, but on the customer’s premises, then the specialist’s visit to the site is paid separately.
