After experimenting with vacuum cleaner parts and Valentine’s Day gifts, Israeli startup Pzartech is now ready to start playing for real, introducing a mass customization service, in partnership with a leading plastic consumer products manufacturer. Pzartech envisions a network for local and distributed manufacturing of consumer products, tailored specifically to the needs of large companies that want to begin introducing mass customization options for their customers. In a way, Pzartech’s represents the custom manufacturing side of the enterprise customization services introduced by startups such as Digital Forming, Leopoly and Kwambio.
The pilot, launched at the end of September, will use the Pzartech’s platform to produce customized 3D printed items. “In order to give 3D printing an opportunity to reach the wider public, our aim is to collaborate with renowned leading consumer companies,” said Pzartech co-founder Jeremie Brabet-Adonajlo. “We are enthusiastic about working to provide clients with the possibility of creating their very own customized 3D items.”
The pilot is being launched during Israel’s New Year celebrations, which is a busy shopping period for many families. The operation, which will target selected stores, will initially be focused on children’s products. While it may take quite some time for this custom manufacturing service to reach the high turnover quantities of mass produced products, this partnership marks one of the times that a large manufacturer has attempted to provide large scale 3D printed customized items.
As the value of the 3D printed products market continues to grow, more companies are likely to get involved. Those like Pzartech (and 3D Hubs) that have laid down the infrastructure to address these news demands will likely be the first to benefit from this organic growth. Through this deal, today’s children are already beginning to reap the first benefits of mass customization through distributed 3D printing.
