200 years of Piatnik

Games baron takes a look at the cards

Dieter Strehl with his "Big 5": DKT, Activity, Rummiklub, Smart10, which was developed by two Viennese, and Tick Tack Bumm.

(Bild: Jöchl Martin)

DKT, Schwarzer Peter, Activity - at Piatnik in Hütteldorfer Straße 229, classic games have been produced non-stop for 200 years.

Piatnik - the Viennese playing card factory is celebrating its 200th birthday this year. Dieter Strehl is the sixth generation to manage the company. 25 million packs of playing cards are sold every year, plus three million board games and one million puzzles. "Many people think that only children play. But our main customers are adults," explains Strehl.

Production in Hütteldorfer Straße
100 employees keep production running in the multi-storey building. A deck of cards is produced within two days. From the artwork to the cutting and stacking to the packaging.

Outsourcing production to low-cost countries in Asia was never an option for Strehl. "We produce, store and ship the games from Hütteldorfer Straße. Our main customers are in Europe, so we are closer to our customers," explains the entrepreneur. In addition, the lead time in Asia is six months, in Vienna it is two. Strehl: "This allows us to react more quickly to trends."

One board game box after another is loaded onto the assembly line. The card games are also produced in the 14th district

(Bild: Jöchl Martin)

(Bild: Jöchl Martin)

(Bild: Jöchl Martin)

Uncomplicated is popular
Piatnik brings 200 new games onto the market every year. Some become huge successes, such as Activity, Smart 10 or Rummiklub, while others disappear into oblivion. "The most popular games are those that are uncomplicated," says the expert. Although some exceptions also prove this rule.

Game developers send their prototypes to Piatnik, where a team then considers whether and how it could be brought to market. If this is successful, a license agreement is concluded.

Analog games more popular than ever
"Board games are not on the verge of extinction," emphasizes Strehl. On the contrary. This year is probably the best year in history. "Some people like to go sailing, others organize a game night." Analog games have a value in themselves, says Strehl. Children learn to lose, and there is also social interaction, which is increasingly being lost due to social media on cell phones.

And what does the head of a toy factory actually like to play himself? "That's quite clear: tarot."