Welcome to the 10th edition of our KREATIZE newsletter: Cloud Manufactured!
The 8th of March is International Women's Day. Therefore, in an effort to recognize the women of our industry, and at KREATIZE, we have decided to celebrate them in this month's edition.
Women of KREATIZE
As a tech startup in the manufacturing sector (which is historically known for being male dominated) we are very proud of our female KREATORS. Check out their special greetings, and additional sources on this important topic.
Market Overview
Manufacturing remains strong in Europe but supply chain problems persist. The tragic war in Ukraine is having a big impact on supply chains, and this coupled with pandemic issues is accentuating the problem. We’ll highlight how factories are being impacted by global factors, while also highlighting how new factories are being built in Europe to help address these problems.
KREATIZE World
This month we share with you some tips on how to incorporate innovation into your hardware business. We also show you some points to consider when choosing a digital partner, and re-visit our article on glocality.
Innovator Of The Month
The company we’re featuring this month is a hardware and software innovator. It recently raised several million in seed funding, has impressive clients, and a growing international footprint.
KREATIZE Product
We’d like to tell you more about the benefits of our core product, and why our customers love it.
Fun Stuff
Read to the end for the fun stuff that won’t disappoint! This month we’re featuring the manufacturing process of two very different products with unique challenges, and distinct customers.
Let’s build! 🛠⚙️📦
WOMEN OF KREATIZE
Let's celebrate the very talented women at KREATIZE! 👩🏭 👩🚀
Manufacturing and technology sectors have been historically seen as male dominated. We as an organization would like to see more gender diversity across industries, and would like to take highlight the highly influential women of KREATIZE.
We asked them...
"What does working at a Cloud Manufacturing startup mean for you?"
Some key points and fresh news to help you better assess the state of the manufacturing industry. ⚙️🔩
🏭 Manufacturing in Europe 📊
The IHS Markit Eurozone Manufacturing PMI fell this February to 58.2 from 58.7 in January. This was slightly lower than the preliminary forecasts of 58.4, according to TradingEconomics. Supply chain bottlenecks coupled with an increase in demand led to factories not being able to keep up. That being said, growth in manufacturing jobs hit the highest since July 2021. On the price side of things, the easing of supply constraints helped with some input cost inflation, although prices for materials rose sharply again.
France’s Michelin Group announced last week that it was suspending production at some European plants due to the war in Ukraine, and its impact on the supply chain. The Michelin Group said it was facing lots of logistical and transportation issues with its plants and in its delivery to customers, according to Tire Business. With this decision it plans to adapt flow management, allowing manufacturing sites to decide the specific duration, and implementation of this halt in production.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is putting more pressure on chip manufacturing, reported the Financial Times. Its effect on the supply of necessary rare gasses for the production process adds to the ongoing difficulty of pandemic-related disruptions. Ukraine supplies roughly 50% of the world’s neon gas, which is a byproduct of Russia’s steel industry, and is absolutely necessary for chip production. Rising material costs, late deliveries and shortages of components have already complicated the manufacturing of not just chip makers, but of companies that need them to manufacture goods. Several companies predict constraints will continue into 2023.
The German state of Brandenburg gave the Tesla gigafactory near Berlin a conditional green light, reported Automotive News Europe. After several months of waiting, Tesla has won the required final approval from the Brandenburg state environment office for opening its plant. Tesla’s plant has been delayed due to red tape, the pandemic and concerns over water usage. German officials have been for the most part behind the project because of the thousands of jobs that it is expected to create. Tesla will be able to start car production once the developer fulfills further requirements.
Intel Corp. has decided on the German city of Magdeburg for its European factory, reported Reuters. The California-based company stated in 2021 that it could invest up to 95 billion in Europe over the next 10 years. They also announced that they planned on building two major chip manufacturing plants in Europe. This is the first location announced regarding this plan. So far, it has not been stated as to when production could start at this plant.
Find out what we're working at KREATIZE on as we take cloud manufacturing from the fringes to the mainstream! 👨🚀🚀
5 Tips For Fostering Innovation In Hardware Businesses
Professionals that want to inject innovation into their hardware business can face a lot of pushback. There is no magic wand to implement change, but here are some tips that can help.
5 Things To Look For In A Digital Transformation Partner
Digital transformation is not an easy process. Partnering with the right external technology provider can better the chances of success for equipment manufacturers looking to implement new technologies.
Global businesses must adapt to local markets in order to find success. Hardware businesses are no different, and need to take advantage of technologies available to leverage the benefits of glocality for their business.
Invenda is a Swiss company that develops hardware and software solutions for vending machines, smart kiosks and digital signage. It claims that its solutions allows customers to increase sales by 50% because of increase in efficiency, cost-effectiveness in sales, inventory control, logistics and advertising .
How are they doing? 💪
Invenda was founded in 2017 and has raised a total of $9.86 million. The most recent financial investment was announced in January of 2022, and it was $7.59 million. The latter was described as seed funding, according to Tech.eu.
What are their plans? 🌍
The seed funding is expected to propel the global growth plans of Invenda. Specifically, to help them deliver on two large deals with US-based clients. The latter two are Mars Wrigley and the Houston Astros Minute Maid Park. Invenda also works with Coca-Cola, Lindt, and Sprüngli as clients, and has subsidiaries in Sweden, Serbia and Hong Kong.
KREATIZE offers many benefits, and is a way for companies to better their procurement processes ⚙️ 📊
What do we do?
We are the strategic partner that gives procurement teams superpowers ☄️ by providing access to Cloud Manufacturing.
Our mix of software, people and smart systems will help you digitally transform your organization.
The Benefits of Working Together
Why Do Customers Choose Us?
We bring decades of first hand manufacturing experience, and a self-learning technology that enables digital transformation. Our customers also trust us to manage more and more of their spend, especially when it comes to their B&C part portfolios.
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