Koobz could be the next large-scale manufacturer using 3D printers for consumer goods.
The California-based company produces custom footwear using FFF 3D print technology. They’ve developed a fully digital workflow that is substantially less involved than traditional footwear production. They explain:
“Traditional Footwear Manufacturing is Hard! 70-200 components per shoe, 300-700 production steps, 18-24 months from design to market.
Solution: automated production line with 3D printing at the core: Monolithic design; Just two production steps; Fully digital workflow.”
This allows them to produce custom-fit footwear on demand. Customers send in a request and immediately receive a tracking number and delivery date.
They have an interesting business model. Instead of selling shoes directly to the public, they instead target niche footwear providers. Koobz will serve as their manufacturing provider behind the scenes. Why do it this way? They explain:
“Koobz’s fully digital workflow allows you to create new products in days. You no longer need to predict trends 18-24 months in advance. With our tool-less technology, footwear brands, smaller studios, or influencers can capitalize on viral trends and start selling shoes within days without any investment in tooling. No MOQ reduces barriers of entry to zero.”
For small providers, this capability is incredible. With no minimum order quantity, they are free to explore all manner of designs in a search for popular products. Creativity is unleashed. It also means that Koobz doesn’t have to be concerned about designs; they are simply selling shovels to the miners, always a good business model.
They are currently operating a print farm of around 50 3D printers (Sovols, it seems), but are now set for a big expansion.
They’ve just closed a seed investment round, raising a massive US$6M. This fresh cash will allow them to dramatically expand operations. They intend on growing to over 100 machines this year, and ultimately something around 800 machines. Founder Kuba Graczyk explained one of the goals:
“Launch an MVP factory with 800 printers and a goal to produce 200,000 pairs of shoes by the end of 2026.”
Koobz is showing industry how it’s done: to fully leverage 3D print technology, you have to change not only the product design, but also the entire workflow — and the business model. I am not aware of any other venture that’s taken these concepts to the edge as Koobz has, but there certainly will be more.
What other products could use the same approach?
Via Koobz, LinkedIn and Sourcing Journal
