MakerBot partners with Jabil to increase production flexibility

Analysts at Canalys predict significant growth for the 3D printing industry, and MakerBot wants to position themselves better now, for growth in the future. "Since I started as CEO of MakerBot in April 2015, we have taken steps to support a growth strategy focused on disrupting the professional prototyping market and transforming the way educators prepare students for the jobs of tomorrow," writes CEO Jonathan Jaglom in a company blog post. Mr. Jaglom goes on explaining that, working with Jabil will position the company better to manage the rapid change in the industry and reduce MakerBot's manufacturing costs to compete more effectively in a global marketplace. "We expect that adopting a flexible manufacturing model will allow us to quickly scale production up or down based on market demands, without the fixed costs associated with maintaining a factory in New York City," the blog post continues. MakerBot will transition production from its factory over to Jabil over the coming months – which means that the company will be laying off employees at its factory.