You can probably manufacture closer to home than you think

FORGE, a non-profit organization, brings “nearshoring” to American startups

There is a persistence hardware theory that overseas manufacturing is the cheapest/best/most efficient option. You manufacture there, assemble elsewhere, and finally approve and market in the United States.

But it turns out it’s possible to manufacture closer to home. With supply chains in the news more than ever, nearshoring is an option for startups; it turns out you can build many of the things you can build overseas in your own backyard, with some surprising benefits along the way.

To learn more about how to retire your manufacturing — or set up a local supply chain in the first place — we connected with FORGE, a Massachusetts-based nonprofit with a mission to help innovators build much closer relationships with manufacturers and designers. at home. So far, he’s supported over 600 startups with their manufacturing, product development, and supply chain needs, and he wants to help many, many more.

“We help innovators, people with innovative products, companies, individual inventors, especially with their product development, manufacturing and supply chain,” explained Laura Teicher, executive director of FORGE. “There are a huge number of supporting organizations in the ecosystem, but a lot of them are focused on business planning, fundraising, these other aspects of the business. And the material is difficult. It has a higher failure rate. It has additional challenges. And this is where FORGE focuses on the laser.

The material is indeed difficult. Inventions are not born entirely from the minds of their inventors, and large-scale manufacturing is particularly difficult. So let’s take a closer look at FORGE, how it works, and how it helps Founders potentially manufacture across town instead of across the world.