Lab Technician071548
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Posted - 2007.02.26 19:04:00 -
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Edited by: Lab Technician071548 on 26/02/2007 19:00:58
There are a few things going on here.
Production Efficiency
You don't need to have production efficiency 5 to get started, but you do need production efficiency 5. There is no value in producing anything below production efficiency 4 and, even then, you must be careful about what you produce relative to the market you are in. IT can cost you 4-6 million extra to try to produce a tier two battleship at PE 4 versus PE 5. If your market can bear that, more power to you. Chances are, you wont be building ravens for awhile with that kind of wallet hit on due to your own inefficiency.
Material Efficiency
You don't have to use public labs. Contact Mackite and tell him I sent you. Many items only need 1 or 2 ME. Some need more like 20. Read the research information very carefully. There's a lot of it in this forum.
Choice of BPO
Generally, ammunition sucks for a profit engine. Look for something that is not produced locally to your base that is desirable in your area. Be aware of what kind of ships are used in your neighborhood. Be aware of what kind of mods pilots of those kinds of ships want IN THAT NEIGHBORHOOD. Are they flying rifters because you are on the doorstep of a low sec nest of pirates or are they flying rifters because they're doing level 1 missions?
Mineral Value
It doesn't matter if you mine your own minerals. They are still worth whatever people are paying. Never undercut the market by undervaluing your own minerals. I routinely find nubs selling ships and modules below mineral value. I buy them and reprocess them and use the minerals for my own profit centers. The nub victim often repeats this cycle thinking he's found a dummy. I don't generally educate them on this point.
BPOs
There are a lot of them out there and none of them turn into cash fast. If you can get an OK researched tier two battleship BPO for 1 billion, and you can make a very nice 10 million per battleship, you still need to sell 100 battleships to break even on the cost of the BPO. Somewhere in there is all the work involved in getting the .75 billion tritanium and other minerals you will need to do that production. Study your market numbers carefully and buy just that which you can use for your own convenience (I got into manufacturing by not wanting to have to move elsewhere to get my ammo) and things that can immediately turn a decent profit. Which things are those? Do your homework before buying the BPO, that's all I'm saying on the topic.
Competition
Keep in mind that you are entering a part of the game that has a lot of very well established players. It's not easy to set up shop and start cranking out ships, modules, or ammunition and do it for profit and not get into a price or other form of war with someone who is established in the area. |