The Distributed Factory

This project will build on the prototype technology and processes that Unto this Last have built to enable CNC rapid manufacturing technology to be utilised to produce furniture on the High Street, at mass production prices. Unto This Last have developed and tested a business model of production at the point of demand, with a production unit at the shop location in the city centre. The CNC manufacturing technology is utilised to enable flexible digital manufacturing, using software to manufacture customised furniture to order at a competitive cost. This project will develop these prototypes to enable the Distributed Factory, a flexible manufacturing model with manufacturing units co-located with retail on the high street. Each unit would have the flexibility to manufacture the whole range of products, and if there is variable demand the flexibility to deliver orders placed at another location. The project will develop the IoT connected hardware, and the control software and processes that will enable this model to scale. We will demonstrate this working across three locations in the timeframe of the project. The project brings together a team that can develop this prototype to enable the business model to scale: Siemens (manufacturing / smart city), AT Kearney (lean manufacturing design, business process), HSSMI (technology integration) and Unto-This-Last who will exploit the commercial opportunity as a business.