Manchester cloud manufacturing company expands to the US with new office

A Manchester cloud manufacturing company connecting UK engineers to production capacity online, has opened an office in Chicago, Illinois.

Fractory is an automated on-demand manufacturing platform connecting engineering and manufacturing companies. The company aims to make more efficient use of the available machinery, filling the production gaps by distributing jobs according to manufacturer availability, lead time, expertise and capabilities.

Expanding to the US market has been the company’s goal since the very beginning as the problems in the manufacturing procurement process that Fractory’s product helps to solve are universal, and globally present.

The company has automated the manufacturing procurement process from quoting to manufacturing and delivery, taking full responsibility for every step.

Martin Vares, co-founder and CEO, Fractory, said: “We’ve proven the value our service creates based on our experience in the UK and mainland Europe - that experience and the £6.5m we raised last year puts us in a really strong position to make an impact in the US market.

“We have over 60 UK-based manufacturing partners whose quality of work is second to none. So we can answer the US market’s needs by enabling easy access to the UK’s resources.

“Today, we are still in the stage of challenging the status quo and proving our effectiveness to the traditional manufacturing industry. Many engineers have never heard of the possibilities platforms create, so our first mission is educating the sector, rather than competing with each other.”

The US has a long history of outsourcing manufacturing from China - as it’s a cheaper option. There is an increasing need for an alternative, especially among the engineering companies looking for more sustainable and ethical manufacturing. The UK, with its strong manufacturing industry, could be one of the candidates.

Nikodem Pancewicz, who will run US operations, commented: “Every function within the company, from sales through marketing, to management is in large part run by people who spent time doing actual engineering work throughout their careers - that gives an intimate knowledge of the industry, allows us to have unique insights, and because of that we can build a solution that users value, enjoy working with, and come back to use it on a regular basis.

“However, the US industrial sector capacity utilisation is only about 78 per cent, meaning there is still over 20 per cent capacity that’s not covered. The problem is understanding which facilities have that capacity and how to access it. This is the problem that Fractory is solving, along with providing additional features such as mechanical engineering expertise, order automation and management, as well as sustainability.”