MacroFab

= "where you can simply request the resources you need through the web".

URL = http://macrofab.net/

Citation

"What Church really wanted was for manufacturing to work more like cloud computing, where you can simply request the resources you need through the web. He wanted to be able to upload his designs to a manufacturer, get a quote automatically, and, when the time comes, order a batch of prototypes with a push of a button, instead of having to spend hours and hours going over spreadsheets with sales reps. That didn’t exist, so, along with electrical engineer Parker Dillmann, he started a factory called MacroFab that lets hardware designers do just that." (http://www.wired.com/2015/05/making-hardware-total-pain-not-factory/)

Description

KLINT FINLEY:

"In addition to automating the process of getting quotes, which include detailed breakdowns of the expenses so that customers determine where they need to cut costs, the company’s software helps schedule manufacturing jobs and automatically provides customers with updates on the process.

MacroFab hopes to make it cheaper and easier to produce prototypes and small batches of gadgets in order to evaluate them before moving on to large scale manufacturing. Tools like the tiny, dirt cheap Raspberry Pi computer and the Arduino open-source circuit board have made it cheaper and easier to create new hardware products. But manufacturing remains a bottleneck for many small-time hardware creators." (http://www.wired.com/2015/05/making-hardware-total-pain-not-factory/)

Discussion

KLINT FINLEY:

"A number of companies have emerged to make small batch manufacturing easier and more affordable. The company’s closest competitor, Church says, is Circuit Hub. But unlike Circuit Hub, which acts as a high tech middle-man between customers and separate manufacturing companies, MacroFab actually has its own factory in Houston, Texas.

Although MacroFab’s prices are a bit higher than those in China, its automation process is able to cut many costs. Johnson says the service is quite affordable. “I’ve never seen anybody manufacturing small-run stuff outside of China for comparable prices,” he says.

As more of the process is automated, prices could fall even further. But Church thinks there will always be humans in the loop. The company has two part-time manufacturing employees, plus a full-time director of operations, and plans to hire more people soon. But will MacroFab bring manufacturing jobs back to the U.S.? Church says that’s the wrong question to ask.

“We think it’s a way of enabling entrepreneurs to manufacture here,” he says. It might not bringing a ton of jobs here, Church says, but he believes MacroFab can help companies start and stay in the US instead of moving to China just to bring their products to market.

For now, MacroFab is focusing on these small-scale prototype orders. The average order is only about 100 units, but Church says that the company expects to keep expanding. “We plan to scale and grow with our customers as they grow and their markets grow,” he says. “We’ll be continuing to grow and satisfy their needs as well.” (http://www.wired.com/2015/05/making-hardware-total-pain-not-factory/)