2019 could be year for manufacturing platforms

Xometry is one of the emerging manufacturing platforms – part of the Internet of Goods – and something that a Forbes writer says 2019 will usher in.

Xometry offers to “[i]nstantly access the production capacity of over 2,500 manufacturers with wide-ranging capabilities across 50 states,” and calls itself “the largest network of its kind.”

In many ways manufacturing platforms are the logical outgrowth of existing trends towards outsourcing and factoryless production. Manufacturers have been increasingly separating product design and marketing from the actual production process for years.

Michael Mandel for Forbes

The platform takes in 3D CAD files and 2D drawings and offers in response “massive network capacity – instant quoting – guaranteed quality” for manufacturers throughout the 50 states.

It’s an automated assessment of whether a part can be manufactured, by what process and at which price. This is what is known as “manufacturability.”

Xometry offers an “Instant quoting engine,” that provides manufacturing feedback, lead times and pricing “in a matter of clicks, not days. “

The fact is that we don’t know which manufacturing platforms are going to be the winners,  just like it wasn’t clear ahead of time which social network was going to come out ahead, or which company was going to invent the first smartphone and the first App Store.

Michael Mandel for Forbes

But we do know that manufacturing platforms will be an essential driving force for the digital factory boom of the next ten years.

Michael Mandel for Forbes

More at “Why 2019 will be the year of the manufacturing platform”