MFG.com

MFG.com

Type	Private
Industry	Manufacturing Global Sourcing, Contract Manufacturing
Headquarters	Marietta, Georgia, U.S.
Area served	Worldwide
Key people	Bo Hagler (CEO) Jean François Blachon (CTO) Chris Mitchell (CMO) Olivier Gavillot (COO LiveSource)
Products	Manufacturing Marketplace LiveSource
Number of employees	50 (2015)
Website	MFG.com

MFG.com is a global online manufacturing marketplace that connects buyers of custom manufactured parts with manufacturers and job shops that provide of contract manufacturing services. Buyers (who are typically engineers, industrial designers, and other sourcing professionals) are able to post requests for quote (RFQs) to the marketplace and then receive quotes from qualified contract manufacturers located around the world. MFG.com is headquartered in Marietta, Georgia, USA, and maintains a European office in Paris, France.

History

MFG.com was founded by Mitch Free in 1999. The first site transaction between a custom parts buyer and custom parts manufacturer took place on February 14, 2000. Free bootstrapped the entire venture and gradually acquired and retained customers, steadily growing the company to a profitable business. In 2005, MFG.com accepted an investment from Jeff Bezos of Bezos Expeditions.^[1] In June 2006, MFG.com acquired Geneva based SourcingParts.com, a SaaS company focused on building advanced supplier relationship solutions for the made-to-order parts community.^[2]

In October 2006, the MFG.com Global Manufacturing Marketplace opened its second largest office in Shanghai, which eventually closed in 2015 because of business realignment.^[3] In 2007, Samwer Brothers invested in the company, followed by Fidelity Ventures' $26M investment in 2008.^[4] Members of Bezos Expeditions and Fidelity Ventures currently sit on the MFG.com board of directors. In September 2012, General Wesley Clark^[5] joined the board as an advisory board member. In 2013 founder Mitch Free left MFG.com to pursue other entrepreneurial interests.

MFG.com was named by Business 2.0 in 2006 as one of the 15 companies that will change the world.^[6]

Business Model

Buyers of Custom Manufactured Parts

Engineers and sourcing professionals use MFG.com to source custom manufactured parts, as well as find and connect with contract manufacturers and manufacturing job shops around the world. Buyers upload their requests for quotation (RFQs) online and connect with suppliers that meet their specific manufacturing specifications. Buyers have the ability to connect with job shops and contract manufacturers based on geographic location, certifications, and manufacturing capabilities. Buyers can also request job shops and contract manufacturers sign electronic non-disclosure agreement (NDA) forms so that they can control how, when, where, and by whom their drawings and documents are viewed.

Engineers and sourcing professionals can source custom parts in categories such as:

• Assembly
• Casting
• Extrusion
• Fabrication
• Forging
• Gears
• Machining
• Molding
• Rapid Prototyping
• Spring & Wire Forming
• Stamping
• Tube Modification
• Tool, Die, & Mold Making

Providers of Contract Manufacturing Services

Contract manufacturers, job shops, and suppliers of custom manufactured parts have full access to the RFQs being sourced by members of the MFG.com buyer community. Those providers of manufacturing services can search for RFQs based on factors like geography, category, material quantity, part size, or a combination of the four. A profile is created for the manufacturing services provider where they can be found by sourcing professionals on search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo. There is an annual subscription for job shops, suppliers, and contract manufacturers to use MFG.com.

Notable MFG.com Members

References