RW video interview: GE FirstBuild’s microfactory team

GE’s Justin Brown and Taylor Dawson came by and spoke to us about why company’s appliance team started the FirstBuild maker community, how platforms can bring community and product builders together to accelerate development, and how IoT represents the promise of gaining benefits from technology as it connects to people.

Why would GE Appliances start FirstBuild?

Ideas take a long time to become products, but GE Appliances wanted to make the design and production ramp less daunting so young developers and engineers can create exciting new products.

So it launched FirstBuild, a microfactory based on the University of Louisville campus, to give engineers the chance at prototyping ideas using state of the art machinery and a community of helpers.

Instead of the normal way of building and selling a product, the GE team wanted their own internal engineering groups to build their ideas alongside a community of “makers” that will help fix, refine, and improve the product.

Building the right maker partnerships

To do this, it has partnered with MakerBot and TechShop, two of the big names in the maker’s movement, to provide even more chances at being successful.

MakerBot and its parent company Stratasys will supply the FirstBuild microfactory with 3D printers and other machinery to prototype ideas without spending thousands, and TechShop has challenged its members to provide input, engineering advice, and tools to help projects succeed.

FirstBuild is calling for engineers to show their ideas off at its microfactory, which has 37,000 square feet, enough for 200 projects. Community director Justin Berger claims the concept is “taking off” with 20 people coming into the factory everyday to check out the machines and make ideas reality.

For engineers that want to win some money, FirstBuild has a competition that it runs regularly. Winners receive $2,500 and the microfactory builds the product and sells it in low-volume to test markets, with the opportunity to expand production if it sells quickly.

Two ideas have already made it through the competition, a micro-kitchen and indoor grill. And just last month, they had a winner for their “Cold Brew Coffee Challenge.” Nick Allen’s awesome looking Prisma Cold Brew Coffee Maker took home the win, and Justin and Taylor brought it to the ReadWrite offices so we could check it out.

We write and edit on deadlines, so we’re coffee people. Big, big coffee people. And this cold brew rocked. We look forward to more products out of the microfactory.

Shenzhen playing a strong hand in the global IoT game

Chinese Special Economic Zone of Shenzhen is set to become a global hub for IoT hardware manufacturing. This thriving metropolis of an estimated 14 million people – just 40km outside Hong Kong – and has already made big waves in the IoT world as an attractive spot for entrepreneurial manufacturing, especially for IoT-related companies.

Shenzhen has grown considerably over the past several years, and its history in the manufacturing world makes it an ideal place to find talented innovators to help shape the future of the IoT market. For startups, it offers a range of unique benefits including giving businesses access to vital IoT-specific components needed for product development, as well as an experienced workforce that knows the technologies and has the ability to fast-track manufacturing.

This creates a win-win for IoT accelerators based in the region, as they can attract startups and use the resources of Shenzhen to help them bring their product ideas to life.

“It’s no secret that over the past five-plus years, the infrastructure, talent, and investment dollars in Shenzhen have grown dramatically,” says Kyle Ellicott, co-founder and chief of labs at Wearable IoT World Labs, an accelerator launching their first Asian cohort this week.

“More people, including many entrepreneurs are leaving their respected homes to be based here so they can be closer to their partners or to be apart of the area’s growth,” he adds. “It’s similar to the way people move from around the world to Silicon Valley to be in the heart of global innovation. There’s no better starting point in China like it right now if you want to move from idea to production quickly.”

His lab’s first class is in Hong Kong, but he says they’re quickly filling up their first Shenzhen class.

“Shenzhen is a lively place to start a company since it’s rich in many resources,” he says. “That’s why we choose to place our second class there later this year, and it’s already generating a ton of interest.”

For startups and mature companies alike, by basing themselves in the heart of the IoT manufacturing world, they can work directly with the manufacturer, rather than managing the operation from across the globe. They also gain the advantages of more cost-efficient operation and focus on what’s most important: the product.

Shenzhen already attracting IoT attention

There are several big names in the IoT world already located in Shenzhen. Among them isDJI, the makers of some of the most popular camera drones including the Phantom and Inspire. MakerBot, a leading brand in 3D printing, also calls Shenzhen its home.

This is in addition to Foxconn, one of the largest manufacturing businesses in the world, which opened its first Chinese plant in Longhua Town, Shenzhen – where many of the world’s gadgets, including Apple’s top-selling products, are made.

Wearable IoT World Labs’ Ellicott says Shenzhen and Hong Kong’s synergies that make both cities key sections of what his firm calls the pan-Asian “IoT superhighway.”

“When assessing the IoT landscape, both Hong Kong and Shenzhen have pivotal roles, but we’re approaching the region’s IoT ecosystem in an holistic way,” he says. “Each of the neighboring countries has individual strength, resources, and focus to offer.”

He points out while Hong Kong, Shenzhen and Singapore have smart cities focuses in their planning and manufacturing efforts, Shenzhen is also a center for automotive technology, too. The Philippines and Singapore are also strong in next-generation agricultural technologies. 

With all this activity, Shenzhen is an appealing spot for IoT manufacturing and development for the region, and with the IoT category growing by leaps and bounds with no easing in sight, the next several years could be very important for the region.

Disclaimer: ReadWrite is owned by Wearable IoT World, which also owns Wearable IoT World Labs.