Wooden toys made by Rülke GmbH: Tradition from the region

The Erzgebirge is known for its beautiful nature and the Fichtelberg. But now, in the run-up to Christmas, one thinks above all of candle arches, incense burners and … yes, wooden toys. One of the traditional companies from the Erzgebirge is Rülke GmbH, which has been dedicated to working with wood since 1887 and is now in its fifth generation as a family business. In our little series “Ça va – RAJA asks”, we asked how Rülke GmbH got through this summer and how Schwibbögen, Räuchermännchen and wooden toys get to the customer.

Tradition and craftsmanship

Wooden toys from the Erzgebirge are like … cheese from Holland. But what is the reason for this tradition? Toy production began there as early as around 1750, when ore mining, which was the main source of income for the population, was hardly worth earning any more. The raw material that was available in masses besides ore: wood. And so whole families began to make use of this raw material.

Finally, in 1887, Carl Herrman Rülke also founded the family business, which is now being run by the fifth generation with great success: Rülke GmbH.

Wooden toys and wood technology

The company’s beginnings were classically in the manufacture of wooden toys. In the 90s, however, the company was faced with increasing competition from the Far East, especially in the toy sector. A new market was quickly found in furniture production: In the meantime, the supply of furniture components such as wooden armrests for various pieces of furniture accounts for over 90% of the company’s turnover.

Corona – and then?

This “two-track approach” as well as good crisis management contributed significantly to the fact that Rülke GmbH was quite easily affected by the impact of the Corona crisis. Even in “normal business years”, the demand for wooden toys decreases in the early summer months – and longer-term orders in the furniture sector that are not time-critical are then processed. These orders (among others, Rülke GmbH equips the Deutsche Bahn with wooden armrests) are therefore not subject to short-term fluctuations and ensured that work could also be carried out continuously in 2020.

But wooden toys also have “their time”: in order to be able to meet the annually increasing demand in time for Christmas, they are of course also produced in advance. From doll’s houses to play furniture, doll’s house accessories and educational toys “Made in Saxony” are ready in the warehouse and go from there to toy retailers all over Germany within a few days.

Rülke relies on the combination of wood and plastic

Rülke GmbH is also moving with the times when it comes to materials. In addition to the unbeatable advantages of wood as a material, it was also clear that certain product characteristics and functions could only be achieved with plastic. In the meantime, the company has opted for a combination of both materials and makes use of their respective advantages. The plastic required for this was initially bought in, but for about 3 years now the plastic has also been produced in-house.

Sustainability and reliability

The two raw materials, wood and plastic, come from “right outside the front door”. There are no long delivery routes. More and more in demand, as Mr Rülke also feels. This is not only a question of faster responsiveness and flexibility, but also of sustainability. So it is only natural that Rülke GmbH also relies on partners who share these values when it comes to packaging and shipping materials.

Among other things, the Corona crisis has led to short delivery routes and regional production regaining importance. We are able to deliver within 3-4 weeks - and thus offer a flexibility and reliability that only regionally based companies can provide. Björn Rülke, Rülke GmbH

More time for play

And another development may benefit Rülke GmbH from a business point of view: Significantly more time at home and a shift of leisure time and play into one’s own four walls is leading to an increased demand for the “classic” games: Board games, but also role-playing games such as the game with the (wooden) doll’s house are becoming popular again. Maybe because now dad and mum are also playing more and rediscovering the value of educational, possibly also nostalgic toys?