FACTUREE looks at industry trends in 2021: Online Manufacturing continues to boom

Machining of a large CNC part

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High demand for digitalization, customization and greater flexibility in logistics

FACTUREE looks at industry trends in 2021: Online Manufacturing continues to boom

Berlin, 23 November 2020 – During the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, Online Manufacturing saw a real boost. FACTUREE – The Online Manufacturer (www.facturee.de) has identified several trends for the sector in 2021 based on demand patterns previously observed. All indications point to an increasing request for customization, such as in major projects, and a greater complexity of parts. Looking ahead, more importance will also be placed on a high degree of flexibility on the part of suppliers, for example in logistics.

cwmk GmbH, which operates as an Online Manufacturer under the FACTUREE brand name, facilitates state-of-the-art procurement of production parts for its customers through digitalization, automation, and networking. The company has a production network with over 1000 production partners across the areas of CNC machining, sheet metal processing, 3D printing, and surface technology. More than 8000 machines are always at the ready for projects.

Analyzing the various changes this year, resulting in part from coronavirus, FACTUREE gives an outlook for developments in 2021. “In fact, the coronavirus crisis was a catalyst for digitalization and thus for Online Manufacturing. Willingness to test alternative procurement methods has definitely increased. Our projection is that Online Manufacturing will continue to pick up speed in 2021 and our share of the market will grow even larger,” states Benjamin Schwab, Head of Marke¬ting & Sales at cwmk GmbH.

Serial production and the complexity of parts in Online Manufacturing are increasing

The growing relevance of Online Manufacturing has also had an impact on requirements. Benjamin Schwab explains, “Online Manufacturing is already well established in the area of prototyping, but now more of our customers are inquiring about serial production and master agreements. We will soon be launching a new product for this area as well.”

Overall, FACTUREE is now handling significantly more major projects with a high sales volume and large scope, while the complexity of the fabricated parts is increasing further. Since this also results in a higher logistics effort, the company introduced new logistics concepts in 2020, for example relying on different shipping services and means of transport ranging from trucks and rail to air freight. 

More customers from new markets, greater internationalization

While the number of customers from new markets is rising, FACTUREE’s geographic operating range has also widened. “Though most of our customers still come from areas such as conventional mechanical engineering and the automotive sector, we are seeing a trend towards the booming e-mobility sector,” says Benjamin Schwab and continues, “Furthermore, we are handling more and more projects from areas outside the German-speaking countries. As a response to this development, we will expand our existing customer service in German, English and Spanish to include support in French from January 2021.”

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Profile of FACTUREE – The Online Manufacturer:

cwmk GmbH, based in Berlin, operates under the brand name FACTUREE as the first Online Manufacturer. The company pursues the goal of enabling its customers to procure modern production parts through digitization, automation and networking. FACTUREE has an extensive production network of over 1000 manufacturing partners from the fields of CNC machining, sheet metal production, 3D printing and surface technology. More than 8000 machines are constantly available for projects. All partners are subject to a continuous data-driven quality management system certified according to ISO 9001. FACTUREE can realize prototyping projects as well as small and large series production. The customer base is located in the most diverse fields such as mechanical engineering, medical technology, model making, robotics, automotive as well as aerospace. Leading industrial companies like Siemens and Parker Hannifin, SMEs, research institutes and universities are among the customers. FACTUREE is active throughout Europe and has a continuously growing number of customers in other European countries.

Further information: www.facturee.de