Inside the UK’s first open-access, pay-as-you-go factory
From an article by Reasons to be Cheerful
So you have an idea that requires the manufacturing of a prototype. What are your options?
One option two entrepreneurs found, was that they would need to rent a large space typically on a 5 year lease, buy or lease all the right machinery and pay for all the power run it as well as heat and light the space. A large risk for a start-up with unproven technology.
Then they found BLOQS, a 32,000-square-foot converted warehouse in the north London suburb of Enfield, fully kitted out with £1.3 million worth of light industrial equipment for all kinds of manufacturing, including wood processing and metal fabrication, laser cutting and engraving, 3D printing, sewing machines, spray painting and more.
BLOQS has a flexible membership structure. The initial sign-up is free, with members simply paying a daily rate for the machinery they need to use, as well as for flexible office and storage space if they need it. Raw materials are available to purchase too, price-matched with local suppliers. And if members need to learn to use a particular piece of equipment, they can pay for training.
There is an on-site restaurant as well. The facility serves a community of 1,000 other like-minded members. The entrepreneurs comment, "It’s a fun place to go to work every day. We have a whole ecosystem of people that we’re a part of. Whereas if we were in our own warehouse on some industrial site, I don’t think we would have friends there — it would be more lonely.”
The expertise available at BLOQS has also allowed entrepreneurs to tap into support on an as-needed basis and that has kept teams lean.
BLOQS co-founder Al Parra describes the as having “its own dynamism,” to drive innovation. "People come to us because they have a physical need of something that we provide, but then they stay because of the community. They’re in this confluence and mix of abilities, skills and knowledge. If you don’t know how to do something, you can be sure you’re one handshake away from somebody who does.”
“We simplify access to things which are really expensive. If you don’t come from a privileged background, it’s difficult to get together that money. At BLOQS, you can walk straight in, from something like a building site, from a course or degree, or you can transition from another career, and we’ve got all of the resources,” says Al Parra.
BLOQS has created 380 full-time jobs and has turned over a collective £15 million a year since it launched in 2012.
Read the full article here which includes a link to other open-access maker sites.
Retweet about this article:
From an article by Reasons to be Cheerful, 31/07/2024