TRACK BY TRACK
Hugues Ripert, a passionate Le Mans racing fan, set up his Zhuhai factory for model cars in 1998. Twenty years later and with more than 20 million models sold, Spark is sought-after by collectors around the world
How many cars do you produce each year and how long does it take until a model gets out of the factory?
We have produced nearly 10,000 references and manufactured nearly one million models a year since the company’s inception. We produce vehicles ranging from 1/87 to 1/8 scale; 90 percent of the vehicles are at 1/43 scale, but the 1/8 is currently very popular. The average time to create a model is five to six months, but in case of an urgent request from a manufacturer for an event, we can make cars in three months.
How do you work directly with car manufacturers?
They send us car details and designs before they’re released to the public and the press. We work with confidential 3D files and technical information — without even having photos — of a car that doesn’t exist yet or is only in prototype form. We must work together with the manufacturer in order to adjust the details up to the last minute.
In terms of manufacturing steps, your plant is comparable to a real car factory. What have been the technological evolutions over the last 20 years?
The biggest progress has been made in the development process. Twenty years ago, we developed a miniature prototype 100 percent manually; we sculpted the shapes in a block of plaster. Today, however, 98 percent of the projects are developed in 3D, with 3D files that either come directly from manufacturers or that we create ourselves in France with a 3D scanner and a team that recomposes 3D files. It saves time and allows for precision. It’s not necessarily cheaper, but it is more efficient.
Are you interested in electric cars? Does Spark manufacture electric Who are your main customers? What’s the next step for Spark?
car models?
A car is a car, but I have big doubts because I have an ecological problem with the electric car. An electric car, once recycled, becomes the most polluting car in the world — and the production of electricity to charge the batteries also causes huge amounts of pollution.
How many people work in the Spark team?
We have 1,200 people spread across three production sites in China, including 700 in Zhuhai. We have distribution offices in Japan, Germany and the South of France.
Car manufacturers, racing teams, or sponsors who need miniatures for presentations, promotional items or gifts. We don’t really have a dominant customer, though. I never wanted to have a customer that exceeds more than 20 percent of our turnover.
We’re trying to develop a range for children and have created a mascot named Sparky! Because today a car miniature alone doesn’t interest children anymore, Sparky’s mission is to be our brand ambassador by transmitting our automobile passions to the youngest generation. Thanks to new communication technologies such as apps, the idea is to propose a new product that’s no longer just a miniature, but a didactic item with a short story that features interesting information about automobiles for young people.