When MakerBot opened its 170,000 square foot factory in Brooklyn, New York, Jonathan Jaglom, CEO of MakerBot, was proud that the company was "reinvigorating a manufacturing space in Brooklyn". Almost a year later, MakerBot is closing the same factory and moving its manufacturing overseas.
Today, MakerBot announced in a press release that it would be shifting the production of all MakerBot printers overseas by partnering with manufacturing services company Jabil. The decision was made to take steps "towards positioning MakerBot for the future". The move will allow MakerBot to reduce its manufacturing cost, but will also see domestic factory workers losing their jobs.
The release did not detail how many would become unemployed due to the change, but it did state that key personnel will be retained "in the areas of logistics, repair, planning, quality, and operations". The change will not be immediate, as Jabil will begin the manufacturing of printers over the coming months with the assistance of MakerBot"s operations team.