Home » Tech and industry giants partner with Kentucky startup to advance the U.S. manufacturing supply base

Tech and industry giants partner with Kentucky startup to advance the U.S. manufacturing supply base

maketime-logoINDIANAPOLIS (Sept. 7, 2017) — Ky.-based startup MakeTime announced the launch, and participating industry partners, of the MakeTime Shop Advantage Program at Modern Machine Shop’s inaugural Top Shops conference.

The program is the first of its kind and is designed to make technology, sophisticated hardware and business services more accessible to the U.S. manufacturing base, which contributes over $2 trillion to the U.S. economy annually.

Inaugural partners include: global 3D design software giant, Autodesk; the world’s leading supplier of cutting tools and tooling solutions, Sandvik Coromant; multinational computer technology company, Dell; supply chain cost reduction company, Transportation Impact; and manufacturing financing partner, Manufacturers Capital, a division of Commercial Credit Group Inc.

According to Jeff Rizzie, director of Digital Machining for Sales Area Americas at Sandvik Coromant, “Partnering with MakeTime on their newly-launched Shop Advantage Program makes a lot of sense. We are both focused on driving out the waste that exists in today’s manufacturing supply chains. Providing easy access to Sandvik Coromant’s industry leading metal cutting solutions and know-how through the MakeTime platform enables their suppliers to provide world class machining services.”

“We are delighted to be partnering with MakeTime,” said Robert Yancey, director of manufacturing industry strategy and business development at Autodesk. “The Shop Advantage Program provides Autodesk with a great opportunity to expose the industry to the latest manufacturing software and technology to help MakeTime’s supplier network solve their current business challenges and further their capabilities in manufacturing.”

“We are excited to partner with MakeTime and offer our technology products and solutions to their supplier network,” said Mobolaji Sokunbi, head of Strategic Partnerships, North America Small Business with Dell. “We believe that this partnership will make Dell technology products and solutions more accessible to MakeTime suppliers, making it easier for the US manufacturing base to grow faster.”

Todd Pritts, chief product officer at MakeTime, says that manufacturers have historically experienced barriers to adopting new technologies and processes. MakeTime’s program will help machine shops bridge the technology gap faster and facilitate a more productive American manufacturing workforce.

“MakeTime’s mission has always been to refuel U.S. manufacturing. We started by building technology that makes it easier for manufacturers to get parts made with American suppliers,” said Pritts, “now we can go one step further and provide American suppliers access to the tools they need to get ahead, and stay ahead, of the technology curve in the global manufacturing climate.”

Through the Program, machine shops will be given access to special offerings for cutting tools, CAD/CAM software, computer hardware, CNC machine tool and manufacturing equipment financing and more.

The Shop Advantage Program is exclusive to qualified members of MakeTime’s network of over 1,000 U.S.-based machine shops. All machine shops based in the U.S. are eligible for qualification when they create a free account on MakeTime.

About MakeTime
MakeTime streamlines the production of CNC machined parts. Powered by data and the nation’s largest network of qualified and connected suppliers, MakeTime radically compresses the manufacturing timeline, creating a reliable path to CNC machining production that is fast, intuitive and cost-competitive.

About Sandvik Coromant
Part of global industrial engineering group Sandvik, Sandvik Coromant is at the forefront of manufacturing tools, machining solutions and knowledge that drive industry standards and innovations demanded by the metalworking industry now and into the next industrial era. Educational support, extensive R&D investment and strong customer partnerships ensure the development of machining technologies that change, lead and drive the future of manufacturing. Sandvik Coromant owns over 3,100 patents worldwide, employs over 8,500 staff, and is represented in 150 countries. For more information visit www.sandvik.coromant.com ​ or join the conversation on social media.