The United States Marine Corps is expanding advanced manufacturing capacity in the Indo-Pacific through a public-private partnership with a Japanese firm designed to produce and repair parts closer to where forces operate.
Marine Depot Maintenance Command (MDMC) has signed an agreement with Japanese advanced manufacturing firm MadeHere K.K. to address a persistent problem in military logistics: component obsolescence.
Military platforms stay in service for decades, but the suppliers who made their parts often don’t. When a manufacturer discontinues a product line or exits the market, the military can face extended lead times and premium costs for legacy components that are no longer in production.
Advanced manufacturing technologies such as polymer and metal 3D printing, CNC machining, and injection molding offer a workaround. Instead of hunting down original tooling or waiting months for a vendor to restart a production line, parts can be printed, machined, or molded on demand using digital files.
So why choose MadeHere K.K.?
MadeHere K.K. brings metal and resin 3D printing, carbon fiber reinforced plastic processing, CNC machining, injection molding, cold forming, and surface finishing capabilities to the arrangement. Designated as a Center of Industrial and Technical Excellence under U.S. law, MDMC will provide the engineering oversight, manufacturing support, and depot-level technical expertise needed to enable co-production between the two organizations.
Integration with the US Department of Defense’s (DoD) Digital Manufacturing Exchange (DMX) is central to the partnership. The secure platform distributes approved manufacturing files to vetted industrial partners, allowing parts to be produced at multiple locations without shipping physical tooling. During the Navy’s Trident Warrior 2025 exercise, MadeHere demonstrated the ability to connect Japan’s industrial base to the exchange and validated secure file transfer and forward production workflows.
The partnership operates on a reimbursable, task-based structure that gives MadeHere access to MDMC infrastructure and technical resources as needed. The arrangement also helps maintain workforce proficiency at MDMC and keeps its advanced manufacturing equipment in active use.
Geography drives much of the strategic rationale. Most depot-level sustainment capacity remains concentrated in the continental United States, creating extended supply chains for forces deployed thousands of miles away in the Pacific.
Digital design files help, but production and engineering oversight are still typically anchored to specific facilities stateside. By standing up co-production capacity in Japan under an authorized depot framework, the Marines are moving part of their sustainment infrastructure closer to where equipment actually operates, while keeping the engineering controls that ensure parts meet specifications.
Additive manufacturing in defense sustainment
Defense organizations elsewhere are confronting similar sustainment pressures as aging platforms outlast their original supply chains. In Canada, Dalhousie University is working with Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC) to develop AM processes aimed at extending the operational life of the Royal Canadian Navy’s Victoria-class submarines.
Because many original manufacturers are no longer in operation, researchers are adapting Directed Energy Deposition (DED) systems to reproduce naval alloys that were never designed for additive production. The goal is to establish validated material data and process parameters that allow industry partners to fabricate submarine replacement components without restarting discontinued production lines.
The US Navy has also begun integrating metal AM directly into fleet operations. Three years ago, it installed a hybrid metal 3D printing and machining system aboard the USS Bataan, enabling crews to fabricate certain stainless steel components at sea rather than relying solely on shore-based supply chains.
At the time of reporting, navy officials framed shipboard AM capability as a way to improve operational readiness and reduce supply chain delays for long-service platforms. The move signals increased AM integration into naval sustainment operations.
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Featured image shows pictured from left to right are MadeHere K.K. employees Natsuki Goto, Toshihiro Noguchi, Hasabe Yuuki, Hibiki Ohashi, Naruhisa Nakamura, Nakano Yuta, Tohma Takeda, Michael Nelson, Alexander Devore, Kim Joonkyoung, Justin Lach, and Dylan Murphy. Pictured in the front row, from right to left, are Harry Bailey, MDMC PPA Plant Manager, and David Anderson, Director of Operations, MDMC. Photo via U.S. Marine Corps.
