UK's RazorLAB launches local making for Ponoko creators

Online, June 10, 2010 (Newswire.com) - "At a time where the UK manufacturing industry is at a decline, our ambition for RazorLAB was to make a difference and prove that manufacturing is still a viable option in this country," says RazorLAB CEO Soner Ozenc. "Ponoko's making system has just made things more convenient - providing an online platform that is fully automated and open 24/7."

Ponoko's 25,000 creators now have access to local UK making and shipping rates through their online Ponoko 'personal factory'.

"We are very passionate about what we do and excited to be entering this new phase," says Mr Ozenc. "We love laser, we laser love!"

Ponoko creators will notice a reduction in shipping times to the UK - and prices. Shipping costs will reduce significantly despite the fact that, until now, Ponoko has been subsidizing freight to the UK for products made at its own making hub in Wellington, New Zealand. The cost of shipping a 3mm thick, P1 sized plastic sheet, for example, will fall from US$41.04 to US$3.67.

Ponoko CEO David ten Have says subsidised shipping was ultimately unsustainable and against the Ponoko ethos which is about building an eco-friendly approach to manufacturing.

"Local making is central to the Ponoko distributed manufacturing concept," he says. "Our aim is to cut carbon emissions by sourcing local materials and making products as close to the point of consumption as possible. This minimises reliance on the traditional supply chain associated with the transportation and storage of goods."

RazorLAB is the third digital making company to launch in Europe using Ponoko's making system. Berlin-based Formulor launched its making hub in February this year and Milan-based Vectorealism followed in May. In addition, Ponoko owns and operates its own making hubs in New Zealand and the US and more than 150 fabbers use Ponoko's system through 100kGarages.

Creators can access RazorLAB services via their free personal factory at Ponoko.com. They just select 'RazorLAB - UK' as their making hub. (ponoko.com/make-and-sell/materials)

ENDS

For more information contact:

Soner Ozenc
RazorLAB
Email: [email protected]
Phone: +44 207 831 33 01

Olga Sasplugas
Ponoko
+64 21 88 66 81
[email protected]

About RazorLAB

RazorLAB, laser cutting and engraving service provider since 2006, is a spin-off from the creative minds of SOPDS - an award-winning product design studio based in London (sonerozenc.com). As a young/dynamic design team, they confidently deliver the service required by the creatives of today. So far, they have worked with high-end clients like Apple, O2, Hussein Chalayan, Giles Deacon, Selfridges as well as many other creative professionals ranging from large architectural firms through to up-and-coming design talents. RazorLAB is also well known for its iTattoo service where customers prize possessions (laptops, ipods, iphones, mobile phones, etc) can be personalised using laser engraving. With a convenient location in Central London, RazorLAB welcomes a crowd of amateurs as well as professionals.

About Ponoko

Ponoko, the world's easiest making system, is an online marketplace for people to make real things. It's where creators, digital fabricators, materials suppliers and buyers meet to make almost anything. More than 50,000 user-generated designs have been instantly priced online, made and delivered since Ponoko was selected to launch at TechCrunch40 in 2007. Ponoko has reinvented how goods are designed, made and distributed leading to profiles in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, BBC News, Financial Times, The Globe & Mail, Inc. magazine, WIRED magazine, The International Design Magazine and more.