Makelab NYC selects AMFG to digitize its 3D printing operations

“With AMFG, we have found an end-to-end solution that not only handles automatic quoting in a more user-friendly and intuitive way, but also manages production, which is a huge advantage for us.” Christina Perla, Co-Founder & CEO.

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The challenge

Makelab is an innovative and rapidly growing 3D printing service bureau in Brooklyn, New York. Founded in 2015, the company serves a range of industries, including engineering, design, jewelry, architecture, and entertainment. Makelab's growing team of industrial designers and technical experts offers a range of manufacturing solutions for its customers, including rapid prototyping, 3D modeling, finishing, and full-color printing. Picking up the digital thread.

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‍For any service office, ensuring a smooth customer experience is one of the top priorities. Makelab goes above and beyond, placing a strong emphasis on customer service throughout the entire process, from the first interaction to the last. To ensure a great customer experience, it's important to make sure that the quoting process is as quick and seamless as possible. Makelab therefore sought a way to simplify the quotation process. At the time, this was done using a manual form submitted on the company's website. Makelab also faced the challenge of connecting incoming customer requests with internal project management and production workflows. As co-founder and CEO of Makelab, Christina Perla is responsible for overseeing all areas of the company, from production to corporate strategy, marketing, and PR. At a time of rising demand for 3D printing services and increasing competition in the industry, Christina and her team recognized early on the need for digitalization to provide a seamless customer experience and achieve maximum efficiency in internal processes. “Previously, customers had to submit manual requests using the old manual form on our website. However, we wanted a digital solution that would allow us to control and manage all incoming projects in one place,” says Christina.‍

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“Ideally, every 3D printing service office would like to have a fully digitally connected office that also connects to the customer side.”

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Managing Makelab's growing project volume is no easy task. With customers covering so many different industries, it can be difficult to balance the different workflows and fluctuating demand throughout the year. The lack of a dedicated software platform to capture key statistics made this even more difficult. Many of the projects we receive are project-based. Our customers may be regulars, but that doesn't mean they'll print with you every month—it depends heavily on what they're working on. While we can't control these industries, we always make ourselves available and want to inform our customers about other 3D printing options. "Makelab was therefore looking for a solution that could help digitize and automate each of its key functions, from quoting to project and production management.

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The Solution

Finding the right digital solution

‍After searching for existing solutions on the market, Makelab ultimately chose AMFG. AMFG offers workflow automation software for additive manufacturing that automates manual tasks and optimizes internal production processes. “We looked at several different solutions,” Christina comments.

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“We even used another platform for a while, but found that it wasn't comprehensive enough. Most of the functionality was intended for the front end for customers, but it didn't flow into production management or even customer management. We needed something more professional and powerful, and AMFG offered us a good foundation to build on.”

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During the trial period, the Makelab team extensively tested the AMFG software, including both the frontend and backend, to fully gauge the user experience on both sides. They spent a lot of time exploring the various settings, such as AMFG's customizable templates and job sheets, and investigated how the software could be integrated into their existing workflows.

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The results

In the months since implementing AMFG, Makelab has already seen improvements to its business, such as in the quoting process. “It's much easier to handle manual requests through the platform now,” Christina explains. “When a customer sends a request to our email, we quickly transfer it to AMFG and provide a quote via the platform. So AMFG is a unified internal asset for us, and extremely helpful and much easier for our customers.” With the dedicated customer portal on Makelab's website, customers can upload files and receive a quote in just four easy steps. In addition, customers can set up accounts and view the status of their projects and order history—a real boon for regular customers. And since marketing is an essential aspect of any service bureau, the customizable web portal also serves to reinforce Makelab's clear branding and create a professional feel that strengthens our brand." Another important benefit was the ability to use the platform for data collection and to optimize the customer experience. Christina explains:

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"We rely heavily on data to make predictions, analyses, and strategies. With AMFG, we can now collect more data in the backend, such as customer acquisition and retention costs. As a growing company, it's so useful to be able to quantify how many people receive quotes or how many of those actually turn into orders—this is perhaps one of the most useful data tools we have."

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Makelab plans to implement the AMFG production management module in the near future, including projecting the software's production schedule onto a large screen so that employees can immediately see which projects have been scheduled.

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‍Preview

‍For Makelab itself, the future is bright: the company recently launched its e-commerce line, Makelab Market, and plans to expand its enterprise services, including 3D modeling and finishing on a larger project basis. AMFG provides the foundation to effectively scale these strategic moves. “With AMFG, we have found an end-to-end solution that not only handles automatic quoting in a more user-friendly and intuitive way, but also manages production, which is a huge advantage for us,” says Christina.

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“As we scale our business, we are always looking for innovative ways to solve key problems, such as keeping track of all our machines, packing builds effectively, and ultimately optimizing our workflow for maximum efficiency. AMFG has answered all these questions and more, enabling us to provide faster and more efficient service to our customers.”

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Images courtesy of Makelab.

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For more information, please visit www.amfg.ai or contact: press@amfg.ai