How do we make figurines?Guided tour of the historic Schleich factory

"The world in your hands", this is Schleich's promise.World leader in figurine, the German group, born in 1935 in Schwäbisch Gmünd (Baden-Wurtemberg), recently opened the doors of its historic factory for a guided tour of its manufacturing processes and its know-how.The group, which sells some 150,000 figurines per day around the world, continues to produce on this site some of its flagship references such as lions, dinosaurs and other horses."Following our strong growth in recent years, we have also developed other production sites around the world in Eastern Europe, China, Tunisia...But still ensuring quality and details, "explains Dirk Engelhausen, president of Schleich.

The reality in the smallest details

This sense of detail is one of Schleich's factory brands."When you have a playmobil or Lego horse in hand, you see that it is a playmobil or lego figurine.Schleich is the only brand that offers a miniature really faithful to what animal is in reality: the child has the world in his hands, "says Dirk Engelhausen.A concern for precision which has also made the success of the license figurines produced by Schleich, such as the Smurfs figurines whose group has exploited the license since the 1960s.But it is in recent years that Schleich's growth has experienced a real accelerator, going from a turnover of € 5 million in the 1990s to some € 143 million in 2016 (including € 6.3 million inFrance) with some 500 employees worldwide.

Range extension and segmentation

This success is explained in particular by the implementation following the group's buyout, in 2014, by the Ardian fund, of a new strategy of enlargement and segmentation of the offer."To our figurines, we have added complete playsets such as the equestrian center or the farm.We have also segmented our age ranges and consumer targets with, in particular, the launch of new lines like Eldragor, in the fantastic universe of dragons and knights ", details Alexandre Pratlong, director general of the French subsidiary of the group.Already partners of many licenses (Smurfs, Peanuts, Marvel...), Schleich also intends to develop its own properties as its magical universe Bayala, whose very first animated feature film is planned in cinemas in 2019.

What about new technologies?Yes, if they help develop the creativity of the child."But what is the point of placing a camera on a dragon or lion sounds? It would increase prices without offering better play value: roar, the child does it very well himself when he is in his game", Dirk Engelhausen slice.A vision there too, very realistic...