How America's Largest Puzzle Factory Makes 2 Million Puzzles A Month
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- Опубліковано 12 тра 2024
- Presented by AMEX
When the pandemic locked people inside, Buffalo Games saw an unprecedented spike in demand for its puzzles. But just as demand was taking off, the company's Buffalo, NY factory was shut down under New York State COVID-19 mandate. As the largest manufacturer of puzzles in North America, the company had to get creative. First, Buffalo Games sourced from overseas and then ramped up manufacturing stateside when the factory was able to reopen in May. Since May, the company has doubled production, now making 2 million puzzles a month. Business Insider visits the factory to see how Buffalo Games did it.
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How America's Largest Puzzle Factory Makes 2 Million Puzzles A Month - Ігри
So awesome! I'm one of Buffalo Games' artists (some of my puzzles are in this video!) - and they are a fantastic company to work with!! Had the pleasure of visiting this facility and was blown away by how nice everyone was, and how impressive the entire production is! This is a great video that I look forward to sharing with my fans!
Which ones?
Can u make videos in ur channel about it?
Yes! I observe there are POCs and the very CEO is also a POC. This company is so nice!
Wow
So you are a designer of some of these puzzles, but before this time you hadn't visited the factory?
1:13 has a computer screen covered by so many sticky notes he uses a laptop.
That’s his idea for the next puzzle 😂
I don't get how anyone can work in that mess.... Imagine his home...
There’s nothing like placing that last piece 😀!
Except when that last piece is missing!
That's the piece I always look for.
im when happy when there is 30 left from a 1000 piece.
Last month i finished my 2000 pieces puzzle and the last piece is still missing.
IM NOT OKAY
And why i wont get any with too many pieces lol, cause u try do edge first and then try match piece right part and all. i think last i did kinda was with my niece so i just gave a piece and she place where it go and then we break it and let her do herself . so it show she has idea where to place and they was easy kid puzzle her ma got her to put together at time. so her and later her bro can redo any to show ma and dad what they did at time.
I can't believe myself, I clicked here because I read 'puzzle' as pizza XD
same hahahaha... then i realised that is not pizza hahaha
Same thought it was pizza i got clickbated
Puzzle and Pizza?
What a Serious difference.
Me too
well, pizza is a puzzle too
"How 2 Million Puzzles A Month Are Made In The Middle Of A Pandemic"
Is this the puzzle?
Interesting.
Three months in, puzzles were hard to find in stock and prices went up.
Respect! My Grandfather does puzzles during tax season to help him cool off. It is really nice to see that the puzzle making business has had a boom this year.
I love that too that the puzzle industry has increased I love puzzles
I randomly bought and just finished building a puzzle now for the first time in like 2 decades. yesterday I ordered 2 more puzzles so I’m definitely part of that pandemic market 😂 But I was wondering about puzzle design and how you don’t want a ton of blue pieces etc - what a fun job!
Great to see local manufacturing, need more of this
I'm retired and always have a 1,000 piece puzzle in progress. Most of my puzzles are Buffalo. I've noticed that some Buffalo puzzle boxes have the box lid glued and others have the plastic bag inside. One thing I think they could improve on is the glue. One time I dripped a small amount of water on a few pieces and the layers came apart immediately. And it was only a few drops. I'm sure there are bad puzzle batches out there. Maybe because of the pandemic. I love the Aimee Stewart collection. But I love all of Buffalo's puzzles.
The most interesting part they didn't show is how the pieces are cut. Is it laser? Blades? A press cut?
With the speed of that machine, it's got to be something like a die cut--like a "cookie cutter," but with thinner and sharper blades. That would be compatible with a cardboard backing.
@@kenc2257 that's what I first thought. It would be a very intricate cutter to be made, they say that no piece is the same shape.
Ive worked in the large format print industry for 17 years. However not on puzzles! They are in fact die cut face up. You can see the image side edges are always curved down. This is from the knife blades pushing through. The tougher question for manufacturing with a die is ensuring the die knives release each of the pieces. This is usually done through a determined thickness of die rubber set onto the face of the die to push each piece back out. However with 1000 pieces they may be using some form of mechanical release. I can imaging getting just one piece not to release or having a trouble spot in a die that intermittently won’t release the piece would be a good way to go home very grumpy. Dies are made by very skilled craftsmen “die makers” and yes “die rule” which is what the raw blade material is called is extremely sharp.
Here is a german video wich shows the whole process: ua-cam.com/video/QZj4AHfmPfI/v-deo.html I guess even if you don't speak german, together with Joels explanation it will make sense. First they create a wood template, then the rubber insert and then blades are bent and everything is put together.
Magic
As a customer of Buffalo Games, I've always have enjoyed doing their puzzles. It was interesting to find out how they are made.
Have never solved a puzzle, and had ordered one just after I finished watching this video the first time. Now its one of my favourite things to do, even my mom has become addicted to this. :)
Finally something non-digital to do :P
i love the 1000 piece charles wysocki puzzles and country life puzzles, i glue everyone i do and have a big stack of completed puzzles going, i also keep a log book of every puzzle i do and keep every poster
Wow! Only a few hours ago, my granddaughter and I were saying how we'd like to see how puzzles were made. Wish granted, lol. I never liked doing jigsaw puzzles, but started them during the pandemic and got hooked. Now I love them. I think my first one was a Buffalo, and it's still one of my favorite brands.
it's youtube's wobderfuk ability to read users' thoughts 😊
Me: 15 hours? How slow are they? *sees puzzle the size of a bed sheet* Oh...
I was always puzzled about how they did it.
are you puzzled on how others fixed it then?
Oh don't puzzle me
I see what you did there...your almost as transparent as a windowmaker factory product ;)
I do at least one 2000 piece puzzles a month. My son gave me a subscription to the Buffalo Puzzle of the Month. It's great fun. It's great to see how much effort they put into making sure all the pieces are there. My question is: many of our recent puzzles have come with extra pieces, in a few cases not duplicates, but from some other puzzle. All of our puzzles have been complete. Mysterious.
Very interesting! Explains why for a while during early days of lockdown it was hard to find new puzzles!
So cool! I haven't done a puzzle in years, even tho I loved it as a kid... Now I want to do one! xD
Same. Puzzles are really fun.
i can do them on behalf for you
Right???? There's something in puzzles that makes you wanna solve them!
well they have many Cat ones since you like neko's so much : )
Well? You’ve had a month. Did you?
I have never seen this procedure and found it pretty much how I thought it would be. All my life I have loved jigsaw puzzles and still do at the age of 75. I still do any size and that includes 1,000 piece ones. We are about to have a big snowstorm tomorrow and I just pulled out another puzzle to do. I have done many Buffalo ones but now it is getting difficult to find any new ones. I have had to resort to going to the Salvation Army thrift store, but they are out of them also and sometimes there are many pieces missing. I say a big "THANK YOU" to all those people who make me content in my life alone by continuing to make puzzles. 💜
Wow.. I think i need one of those. I need something other than screens🙃
I really appreciate that the designers focus on making the puzzles easier and not having big sections of a single color.
This is the part of the process that sets good puzzle makers apart from the rest.
And now I have a newfound understanding of puzzle manufacturers and their inner workings...worth it.
I hope that this pandemic won't hurt us anymore . Neither financialy nor physically... God bless you all!
Same I wish good health and wealth to all. We need to just get through this.
And to you as well, from your eternal sister in Christ somewhere near Seattle and around the World...
⚘🙏♥️🙏⚘
Right back atcha babe, from your eternal sister in Christ somewhere near Seattle and around the World.
⚘🙏❤🙏⚘
Wow I always figured making puzzles was a fast and cheap process. Never expected to hear a 2,000 piece puzzle would take 30hours to make.
🤣🤣🤣
I suspect the vast majority of that is the design process. The actual manufacturing (aside for waiting for glue to dry) is probably pretty rapid
@@Arrica101 30 hours to solve you idiot....
I remember looking in stores for puzzles at the beginning of the pandemic and there were none! So glad they have returned to the shelves.
We just finished putting together one of your 1000 piece puzzles. Enjoyed it a lot. I am amazed at how well they are made. The pieces fit precisely. And no piece was missing. Thanks
I love Buffalo Puzzles! I can testify that this was what kept me sane during the lockdowns!!
Throughout the whole video I was thinking how the ceo would gift everyone a puzzle game on Christmas
LMAO
I had never done a puzzle until this pandemic. Now I can’t stop. I love this hobby. Also buffalo is great. I had a piece missing from one I purchased. They are not able to replace a missing piece but they did send me a whole new puzzle at no charge.
My mother in law got a puzzle for Christmas a couple of years ago and it was missing several edge pieces. I bought a 1,000 piece puzzle that was missing one piece. So annoying... (I got it replaced)
My brother bought Five 1000 puzzle piece. Been 10 months, we've only finished 3.
What's stopping you?
Once a month... potluck, masks required by all attendees, must be worn unless eating, hugs at a distance, share a meal, everyone must wash their hands upon entry, great memories to be had, lots of hand sanitizer around, sterilize as much as you can...
1/3 cup of Bleach per gallon of water, sanitize everything?
Bring your own meat, and a potluck dish for 10 servings, coordinate the menu, fire up the BBQ/Grill?
Maintain your distance, open a few windows for fresh air, fire up the fireplace... it can be done.
Find the 4 corners first, take turns reaching in to find the edges, standing away from the table... Video it all!
Great memories for years down the line?
Perhaps make plans for early to late Spring? Summer BBQ potluck?
Though these plans may not be ok right now, there are many family memories to be made down the road.
Don't give up hope or faith, ok?
Send them over i will do it for you and upload it :D
@@majoroldladyakamom6948 this wasnt for me, but it made me feel better. Thank you. ❤
Oh gosh I've doing a 1,000 piece the now. 2 away for xmas and oops bought another 2 today. Yikes!!
It only takes me a week or two to do a thousand piece puzzle by myself, working a couple hours a day (can't do more than that as I have young kids to take care of). In the last 10 months I have done many 1000 piece puzzles!
These puzzles are so beautiful! If they were available here in Iceland, I think I'd buy them all.
Amazing to see so many of the puzzles I actually completed over the past few years. Just love them. Still doing 1000 pieces.
Loved this! So cool to see how they are made. Buffalo Games puzzles are my favorite!
This was really neat to watch!!! I enjoy puzzles immensely and am glad you make these for distribution!!!!!
Love the Charles WySocki ones. I just bought 7 this week alone. Completed 3 in a weekend. I have some Thomas Kindaide puzzles made by Ceaco and I've notice a huge difference in quality which makes doing these puzzles enjoyable or frustrating. Buffalo definitely has the better quality, all pieces are cut perfectly where none stick together but Ceaco needs to invest in better cutters. I also like how Buffalo's jigsaw pieces align better with each other.
During the first lockdown because of the pandemic, I bought a puzzle after not doing one since childhood. I recently bought two more puzzles the other day. I remember puzzles being so boring back in the day, but there are so much better designs now. I'm hooked.
Streaming services, Animal Crossing, and puzzles. The saviors of quarantine
have to agree!
Buffalo puzzles are my favorite! So satisfying being able to pick up a whole puzzle...
I love the Buffalo puzzles. I go through them so quickly and you really can pick up the whole puzzle in one go. I did a 2000 in about 3ish days and 1000 in 2 nights. I saw some that I had this year in the video!
1000 in 2 nights! Wow, we're on our first ever 1000-piece puzzle, taken us 2 weeks so far, about 20% to go 😂. If you ever come to Perth, Western Australia, please drop in to give us some tips 🤩
Well that is so true…. Decided to start puzzling as a stress relief and hobby for 2022…. Will be ordering my first Buffalo puzzle soon! I started with some dollar tree ones… and they were fun… so I know buffalo puzzles will be top notch!
Thank you for sharing this process! I would love to tour a factory.
Please tell me that I'm not the only hungry ass that saw '' How America's largest pizza factory makes 2 million pizzas a month ''
You not. 😭😭🤣
Me to 😅😭
@Erza Scarlett pizza for breakfast, pizza for lunch and pizza for dinner. You can imagine how tough your workout is going to be after that
I have always loved puzzles and have been putting together for many years. It is nice to see people discovering them again, but also I will admit it has made them hard for me to find!
Where has this video been all my life. If only it has come out sooner :). I’ve been doing puzzles all my life
I love love love Buffalo puzzles. Charles Wysocki designs are my favorite. Began puzzling with my grandfather in the winter months 45 ish years ago.
"It's yoga for your mind."
You serious? When I can't solve the shit I get angry af
There is a great peace to be found in doing a jigsaw puzzle, whether you are alone with soft music playing or in a group trying to see who finds the most pieces. One of my favorite pastimes.
5:19 box on top looking a little suspect
I've put together 3 Buffalo Games puzzles this Winter. It's nice to see the people and factory.
Glad to see a Buffalo NY company excelling!
Love the fact that they're made here in the Good Old USA.
Enjoyed your video and I gave it a Thumbs Up
The thing that blows my mind is that they’re using a single packaging line to package multiple different designs alternately. That’s gotta be a nightmare if it ever gets out of sync.
I'm getting back into putting puzzles together again. And I got a few of Buffalo Games puzzles. That's the only brand I saw at target few days ago. A very affordable relaxing therapeutic hobby. Thank you and good luck with the demands!
my problem with puzzles is that after I'm done, idk what to do with it.
You can take it apart, put it in the box and tape shut. Donate to a thrift store, or a nursing home, etc, Everybody loves a puzzle!
I suggest convincing your family and friends to take up jigsaw puzzles, and then you can trade them around your family.
If you like them so much, you can frame and hang them on the wall. I have many framed puzzles, which I plan to sell for making money before leaving Turkey for Work & Travel and coming to US. So, only one of them is hanging in our house, the rest is stored with bubble wrap. I don't want to put pieces in the box back again and I don't have much space left for frames. I will try to stick them from the back using tape for being able to keep doing puzzles.
Frame them
Aww I just got one buffalo puzzle from my husband. Its an elderly couple sitting on a horse cart drawn by two pinto horses very beautiful.
Im in love with Josephine wall puzzles. I am doing the whole glitter collection. I am in LOVE. I had to return the one i bought and im waiting for the new one to show up. The edges were frayed on all the pieces. No harm but gonna get a new one. Cant wait
This is fascinating! I've alway wondered how jigsaw puzzles were made. Didn't know about the artist side of it. I've always loved jigsaw puzzles since I was a kid. I have several in my closet I decided to get down and put together because I'm bored with video games. One was a Buffalo Games 1000 piece Charles Wysocki puzzle. I bought it probably 10 years ago but never put it together. I did it in two days and now have ordered 3 more from Amazon and bought two that my local WalMart had. I really enjoy his artwork. The quality of the puzzles are so good. Highly recommend this company's puzzles.
Let me start by saying that what I'm about to say did NOT happen with a Buffalo games puzzle. We bought a puzzle from a well-known reputable company and started putting it together the day after Christmas. We found that there was an entire section of about 15 to 20 pieces that were missing. Not random pieces all around the puzzle, but one definitive section about the diameter of a softball that were missing. I'm curious as to what part of the manufacturing process that error could have occurred. I've been putting jigsaw puzzles together for about 65 years and not once, have I ever experienced an incomplete puzzle out of the box to this extent.
- Has a large desk
- A good computer screen
- Ends up working in a tiny corner, hunched down to look at a tiny screen that is too low and with a terrible mouse to boot. Someone should teach this man ergonomics.
Oh my lord. How I would love to shop in that warehouse. Buffalo is my favorite puzzle company, because of the snap noise each piece make. Let's you know that you have the right piece where it belongs.
Buffalo puzzles are my favorite because of the brilliant colors and their ease of snapping together and the great quality & they are the best priced!
That’s awesome. I hope everyone in that place is getting big bonuses.
I worked in the building every day during the pandemic.. no bonus and I didn't expect one (except of course the standard yearly one). The building was quite empty as many workers did work remotely. Logistically my dept wasn't able to.
I love BG puzzles! I currently have about 50 in my collection. They are great quality, good variety of artwork and reasonably priced.
While 2 million puzzles are made, many more are solved
i am part of that group
The old camping/hunting ones with like the 50’s trucks are easily my favorite.
I just got a 750 piece puzzle called Majestic Castles. I went to get the box, and saw the word Buffalo on the box! Am excited to start working on it! Enjoyed this video.
“It’s yoga for your mind”
Um. Yoga... is also for your mind? Who’s going to tell him 😂
My family was ahead of the curve: I had a bank of puzzles prior to the Covid business. Buffalo has interesting puzzle designs.
Wow, I did not know they made puzzles in Buffalo. It's Amazing when something happens you find out what in your Area
This was fun to watch!
I love their puzzles. My husband and my 12 year old granddaughter work on a new one of their puzzles every two weeks. We then pass them on to cousins. Never ever had a problem with any of the new puzzles we have ordered from them. Love them.
The end of this video shows the owner with a very optimistic view of the puzzle industry despite everyone being back at work/school. Wonder how that panned out 3 years later.
My sister and I joke all the time we’re puzzle puzzlers like we puzzle all the time and now that the virus has hit we aren’t able to find a new puzzle anywhere it is cuckoo. I love you buffalo puzzles thank you so much for your service and for being diligent and for working your fingers to the bone to make sure that the citizens of the world don’t lose their minds and again let me reiterate I puzzle all the time so I don’t lose my mind I’ve been making puzzles since I was probably 10 I love them!!!!!
I live in pittsford (about an hour from Buffalo) I have so many puzzles from this company.
Love the Buffalo puzzles. I've done several 1000 pcs and one 2000 pc which was fun. Going to start another over the Easter weekend.
I love puzzles and always love doing the over 1000 pieces. I mostly like the ones with folk art or the cozy atmosphere like Thomas Kinkade. They should make an I SPY one or Where's Waldo? I would love those!
Been a puzzler for a few years and I love Josephine wall puzzles 🤗
I love it! 👍🏾 Keep up the great work! I'm a Puzzle lover!! ❤️
That was a pretty entertaining video!👍
Buffalo Games has a lot of really cool puzzle images. One of my favorites is San Francisco with the two trolley's running up and down a street. It's called "San Francisco Commute."
How awesome to have a 1000 piece puzzle during lockdown,
Had a first today. We do about 3 -1000 pc puzzles a week, glue them, and stack them up for future hanging. Today when I opened the Buffalo box....we actually had an extra piece. It was a edge piece and an exact duplicate of a piece we already used.
EDIT: Today we opened another new Buffalo puzzle. The puzzle was a Chuck Pinson titled "Sunrise by the Sea"....but the poster in the box was for a Charles Wysocki titled "Bread & Butter Farms." Last year we bought another Buffalo puzzle where the pieces to the puzzle were for a completely different puzzle than the puzzle on the box. I like Buffalo puzzles.....but they need a better inspection system. This year we expect to buy around 200 puzzles....I'd like to keep buying Buffalo, but it seems they have too many packaging errors.
EDIT#2: We just finished "Sunrise by the Sea"....and yet again we're missing one piece. This is getting ridiculous.
Ceaco is the same. One puzzle was missing 2 pieces. Just finished another of theirs, and it had one duplicate piece and one missing piece. The fitment of the pieces for this puzzle was sloppy, very loose.
I contacted the company about the first puzzle, and they offered to send me a new replacement puzzle (4 to 6 weeks for delivery). Not wasting my rime for the second puzzle.
I'm going to be that person........ are you sure you didn't just misplace the piece?
Absolutely. I use a huge table in a spare room which is used solely for doing puzzles. No way could a piece leave the table or room.
That is no fun. So far we've been lucky. My husband works tons of BG ( Wysocki ) puzzles and we have some other artists as well and we've never had a missing piece before.
I've bought about 50 more puzzles since my original comment from various sites. So far no more missing pieces from Buffalo, but 3 other companies' had a missing piece. I really like Wysocki ...probably my favorite puzzles.
So interesting. Love puzzles and Buffalo Puzzles
Thanks, I finally know about the process.
We hadn't 'puzzled' in maybe 20yrs - Since the pandemic we've been buying them regularly. And we only order Buffalo :)
2:20 this is so cool, they're so dedicated
I only started to get into it since the cost of living, it is a cheap hobby, you can do on your own or with a friend, and also with more rainy weather, one is more inside more. also the smaller ones especially are good for wellbeing, easy to do and not taking hours and hours. It is also nice to have a piece of art framed in your house uk
i have a where's waldo/wally puzzle 2000 pieces (i really should start it)
also i love these how things are made videos wish there was more of them out there
They're local and have been expanding a lot for the past few years. 😍
I’ve been addicted to building puzzles this year!! It’s therapeutic to me 🧩
I'd far prefer Ravensburger, for size and quality. But that's my opinion.
This is so cool. I have to admit I'm one of the people who have been puzzling since the pandemic started. I even have one of the puzzles in this video. Lol
5.18 just me or pallet stick out of the racking. On top level.
I have a few puzzles made by Buffalo Games! Thanks for keeping me busy during the pandemic!
I've actually done the puzzle at 2:00, cool seeing the factory where they made it.
Make each parts alluminus and with a notice of the puzzle it belongs too like a app where you can trace it to the entire puzzle it belongs to.
It would be so cool to design a puzzle and then put together your own art 😍
I am a lifelong puzzler and this tour was fascinating. My next puzzle will be a Buffalo.