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Category: PIKO latest news

14.06.2022 Press conference: "Open Day 2022"

On Saturday, 18 June 2022, PIKO will celebrate the 12th "Open Day". Once again, thousands of guests are expected at the company headquarters in Sonneberg for this special event.

In the week before the "Open Day", PIKO Managing Director Dr. René F. Wilfer invited to a press conference.

In addition to information about the upcoming "Open Day", the media representatives present also received information about the business development at PIKO in the first 5 months of 2022. Furthermore, the charity car for Ukraine aid and the associated current fundraising campaign of the model railway manufacturer were on the agenda.

Business development until May 2022:

PIKO owner Dr René F. Wilfer was pleased to be able to report a successful start to the year 2022 to the participants of the press conference.

Nevertheless, PIKO is not completely unaffected by the current global economic situation.  The ongoing logistical problems result in significantly longer delivery times for containers from the Far East (previously 5-6 weeks, now up to 3 months!) and ultimately lead to postponements in the planned deliveries of new products. In addition, there are currently difficulties in the procurement of electronic components for the production of the decoders, among other things. As a result, deliveries of AC and sound models are delayed.

At the end of May, turnover was +3%, slightly higher than in the same period of the previous year, but somewhat below the planned turnover for the first 5 months. PIKO generates about 2/3 of its total turnover in Germany. Here, the company was on target at the end of May and was able to generate an increase in turnover of +4% compared to the same period of the previous year, in the German specialised trade even of +7%. The main factors for this development are the good delivery capacity in the area of standard articles such as tracks, an attractive novelty programme as well as a stable support of the market. The described problems with the delivery of sound locomotives caused shifts in the export sector in particular with regard to the achievement of the planned turnover so far. Here, PIKO is currently 16% below plan.

Nevertheless, the current positive order situation allows the management to look optimistically to the upcoming second half of the year and gives hope to catch up in the course of the year.

Innovation, quality and a balanced price-performance ratio - these are the values on which PIKO has been building since the founding of PIKO Spielwaren GmbH in 1992 and which have proven to be a reliable manufacturer of model railways and model railway accessories. The company, which looks back on more than 70 years of tradition, currently employs 171 people at its Sonneberg site and 520 at its site in Chashan in the south of China. In order to continue to meet its own requirements and those of its customers in the future, PIKO is currently looking for qualified employees for the Sonneberg site.

As the third largest model railway manufacturer in continental Europe, PIKO offers its customers a wide range of prototypical locomotive and wagon models in the four gauges G, H0, TT and N. In the H0 and N gauge, PIKO offers a wide range of prototypical locomotive and wagon models. In the H0 gauge and in the garden railway sector, PIKO is a full-range supplier and offers a complete programme consisting of locomotives, multiple units, passenger and freight cars, building models and its own track and digital system. The assortment is expanded every year with many attractive and exciting models. This year alone, model railway enthusiasts can look forward to over 400 new models in the four gauges offered. Highlights include the class 194, colloquially known as the "German Crocodile", in H0 gauge and the class 101 intercity locomotive in N gauge. It is not only in these models that the high quality standards, the art of construction as well as the attention to detail of the PIKO models are evident. And what is just as important as the quality is the fact that PIKO is pretty well on schedule with the release of the novelties and that there will be no significant postponements in the novelty deliveries here - apart from the transport problem.

PIKO "Open Day" on 18 June 2022

As a rule, the "Open Day" takes place every two years. From summer 2020, the PIKO friends could already look forward to a twelfth reunion in Sonneberg. The invitation was sent via the homepage and social media, among other things. However, due to the pandemic, the event planned for June 2021 unfortunately had to be postponed. All the greater is the joy that this year, on 18 June, the time has finally come again for the 12th time.

In 1999, the company opened its doors for the first time to model railway fans from near and far on the occasion of PIKO's 50th anniversary. Seven years earlier, Dr René F. Wilfer had founded PIKO Spielwaren GmbH, paving the way for the future of the former VEB PIKO. This important event is already celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2022 and - thanks to the postponement - can be celebrated together on the "Open Day".

The guests come from all over Germany, the neighbouring countries and some even travel all the way from the USA for this day.

And it is not only the visitors who are excited. The staff are also preparing for this day at full speed.

Admission to the factory premises in Sonneberg begins at 9:00 am. From then until 5 p.m., visitors will have the opportunity to experience model railway production up close and talk to the employees. Besides the traditional sale of second choice articles and oldies (single parts partly from the GDR production), special models will be offered again this year. In order to make this "Open Day" unforgettable for all model railway enthusiasts young and old, PIKO has come up with a colourful and varied programme:

* Company tour during running production
* Special sale of PIKO products, rarities and souvenirs
* Information about the PIKO history and the PIKO factory in Chashan
* Tombola with high quality prizes
* Limited and exclusive special wagons for H0 and G gauges
* Large model layouts in H0, TT and garden railway gauges
* PIKO models with individual printing as a special souvenir
* Child care and a huge bouncy castle
* Large PIKO garden railway playground
* Painting activity for children who would like to design their own model railway carriage

For guests arriving by special trains or the normal train, a free bus shuttle will be available to take guests from Sonneberg main station to the PIKO company premises and back.

Guests arriving by car can use sufficient parking facilities around the company premises.

For the protection of the guests and the PIKO employees, this year the 3G-regulation applies for the access to the PIKO premises. As part of this, visitors will have the opportunity to take a free Corona rapid test at the company entrance, provided they have not been vaccinated or have not recovered.

Against this background and with the prospect of a sunny weekend, nothing stands in the way of the long-awaited reunion at PIKO.

PIKO Charity Wagon Ukraine Aid

To help and support people from Ukraine who have lost their homes due to Russia's terrible war of aggression against Ukraine and have found shelter in Sonneberg, PIKO has launched a charity car. The marketing of the attractive H0 special wagon with a price of € 30,00 started on 27 May and so far more than 1.100 pieces have already been sold. PIKO will donate the entire net sales proceeds to the town of Sonneberg, the current donation level is about € 28,000.00. The order deadline for the PIKO charity car, which will be delivered at the end of October, is 18 June, so that visitors to the "Open Day" will also have the opportunity to help the people of Ukraine by buying the model. The donation cheque will be handed over by PIKO owner Dr. René F. Wilfer to the Mayor of Sonneberg, Dr. Heiko Voigt, during the "Open Day".

Sonneberg, 14.06.2022

Dr. René F. Wilfer
CEO

PIKO owner, Dr. René F. Wilfer, presents the garden railway special wagon to the press representatives present at this year's "Open Day".