Mekanika

It's official - we've got our first design award, and a big one! We've been rewarded for our modular approach, fostering disassembly and repairability. But above all for our unique approach on upgradability - allowing a long relationship between our users and their machine, able to evolve with their needs. When you know the leadership Germans still holds for machine design in Europe, I see this as a good omen for our upcoming German launch!  (I'm just harvesting the merits that entirely comes to my Mekanika co-founders Maxime Gravet and Martin Duchêne on this one).

Two new positions are open at Mekanika ☀️ 1/ A supply chain manager: a key operational role with an amazing team, lot of room to grow and many exciting challenges. https://lnkd.in/eHjntbk3 2/ An education & decentralized manufacturing project manager: a very special job at the crossing of manufacturing, teaching and future exploration, with some of the best university partners in Europe. https://lnkd.in/e87C6qWP Please share or reach out if you're interested!

One year ago, Maxime convinced me to join him for our first global Fab event in... Thimphu, Bhutan. I didn't exactly know what Fab events were about, but I was so intrigued by the destination that I accepted: he applied for a fab challenge to improve local garment low-tech manufacturing, and I applied to give a conference on the role of local manufacturing communities in social and economic resilience. Both our applications got accepted, and we embarked on this fascinating journey, meeting makers from all around the world in this very special place. Twelve months later, I cannot emphasize enough how fruitful the global network we've met has been: - Weirdly enough, the first people I met in Thimphu were from Leuven (Marc, Thomas). Together with Jason, they're pushing for a new Belgian fablab network to emerge.   - I also quickly met Jan, Tomas, and their team. We ended up together in Brussels a few months later, discussing how we could partner up for FAB25 in Prague and Brno.  - After meeting Constance and Matthieu, we started building ties with Alexandre and the RFFLabs to end up signing the first public-private partnerships between Mekanika with the French fablab network. - Maxime won the Fab Challenge with Surzhana, and we started 9 months later working together on a Hollander beater. - We had great discussions with Andrew and convinced him to join our board of directors. - We embarked with Leyla on developing digital manufacturing training programs through Europe and new partnerships through Germany. For me, this has put everything in perspective as I usually always focus on clear and short term returns when putting this much time in something, but the power of taking the time to know others is real. Thanks to all of you for your precious input in our journey. Looking forward to what we'll continue to build together in the future!

Obsolescence is a design choice.  We're so used of thinking about hardware tech evolution in terms of "new" product releases that we forget that companies are voluntarily driving this paradigm to maximize their profit. Yet we could imagine another models for companies, where modular products could be easily repaired or upgraded with new technologies. Of course, this comes with a cost: designers have more constraints and will have to anticipate future developments. Focus cannot only be aesthetics and miniaturization. But can't we find attractive designs that's both aesthetic and functional? That's the balance we're trying to find at Mekanika. Our machines are above all designed for modularity: nothing is glued or welded, we use standard parts wherever possible, and any component can be easily replaced or repaired. Even our first-generation machines can be upgraded with our latest laser add-on. Our users assemble their machines and gain valuable knowledge about their operation and maintenance. How does it work financially? Because it creates a long term relationship with our users. We don't lock them in, yet they come back every time we offer something new. And if ethics and business are not convincing enough, here's another reason to change your design process: regulations are most probably coming. And for companies, unless you prefer paying lawyers to circumvent upcoming European regulations, you'll have to embrace this much needed new paradigm.

"Tant qu'il restera des produits importés depuis l'extérieur de l'Europe, on aura du boulot pour renforcer le tissu de production locale" Petit extrait de mon passage à La Première RTBF suite à mon invitation pour les 40 ans de CREDAL. On y parle : - de notre positionnement international depuis le jour 1 🇪🇺 - de nos futurs développements avec Mekanika 🤓 À retrouver en entier ici : https://lnkd.in/eZVEUSWj