You can probably manufacture closer to home than you think

Share Story on

There’s a persistent theory in hardware that manufacturing overseas is the cheaper/better/more efficient option. You manufacture there, assemble somewhere else, and finally approve and get to market in the United States.

But it turns out that it’s possible to manufacture closer to home. With supply chains in the news more than ever, “nearshoring” is an option for startups; it turns out you can build in your own backyard many of the things you can build overseas, with surprising benefits along the way.

To learn more about how to pull your manufacturing back — or to set up a local supply chain in the first place — we connected with FORGE, a Massachusetts-based nonprofit that’s on a mission to assist innovators in building relationships with manufacturers and designers much closer to home. So far, it has supported over 600 startups with their manufacturing, product development and supply chain needs, and it wants to help many, many more.

“We help innovators, folks with innovative products, companies, individual inventors, specifically with their product development, manufacturing and supply chain,” explained Laura Teicher, FORGE’s executive director. “There’s a tremendous number of support organizations in the ecosystem, but many of them are focused on business planning, fundraising, on these other aspects of business. And hardware is hard. It has a higher failure rate. It has additional challenges. And that’s where FORGE is laser-focused.”

Hardware is indeed hard. Inventions don’t spring fully formed from their inventors’ brains, and manufacturing at scale is particularly challenging. So let’s take a closer look at FORGE, how it works and how it helps founders potentially manufacture on the other side of town instead of the other side of the world.

You can probably manufacture closer to home than you think by Haje Jan Kamps originally published on TechCrunch



Search By Category

Recent News

You May Also Like

A Curated Discovery Platform for Authentic Knowledge Exchange: Unveiling ‘GapUp’

A Curated Discovery Platform for Authentic Knowledge Exchange: Unveiling ‘GapUp’

GapUp co-founders (L to R): Ananya Singhal and Swapnil Saurav New Delhi (India), September 29: Rigi, a pioneer in empowering online creators to monetise their content,

Mumba Devi Temple Leaves No Stone Unturned For Devotees’ Comfort; Appreciates Donors’ Support

Mumba Devi Temple Leaves No Stone Unturned For Devotees’ Comfort; Appreciates Donors’ Support

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], September 29: The Mumba Devi Temple has long been a symbol of Mumbai’s rich heritage. About 25,000 people visit the temple every

Best Health Experts in India Advice on Gynecologic & Blood Cancers

Best Health Experts in India Advice on Gynecologic & Blood Cancers

New Delhi (India), September 29: As we enter Cancer Awareness Month, it is imperative to shed light on two crucial fronts in the battle against this

Piyush Goyal’s Power Surge: Sparks of Inspiration at India’s Biggest ‘Entrepreneurs Launchpad’ Program by Dr. Vivek Bindra

Piyush Goyal’s Power Surge: Sparks of Inspiration at India’s Biggest ‘Entrepreneurs Launchpad’ Program by Dr. Vivek Bindra

Dr. Vivek Bindra Organizes India’s Largest Entrepreneurial Event New Delhi (India), September 29: Motivational speaker and business coach Dr. Vivek Bindra recently organized the country’s

Vedanta Aluminium and OSPCB Jharsuguda raise awareness on Ozone Layer conservation

Vedanta Aluminium and OSPCB Jharsuguda raise awareness on Ozone Layer conservation

Jharsuguda (Odisha) [India], September 29: Vedanta Aluminium, India’s largest producer of aluminium, conducted an awareness campaign among students on the occasion of World Ozone Day

Unacademy Launches UNSAT 2023 to Give Your Medical & Engineering Dreams the Right Start

Unacademy Launches UNSAT 2023 to Give Your Medical & Engineering Dreams the Right Start

Ahmedabad (Gujarat) [India], September 29: Unacademy, India’s largest learning platform* announced the third edition of the Unacademy National Scholarship Admission Test (UNSAT), its biggest scholarship