Courtesy Thomas Schickendanz

Inside Innovation

Trend: Personalized On The Factory Floor

Ponoko.com, a pioneer in the make-it-yourself movement, has brought its personal factory concept to America. MIY takes do-it-yourself assembling and renovating a step further—to designing and making new goods. Ponoko, which links designers with consumers who want to create their own products, recently shifted its headquarters to San Francisco from New Zealand, where it has a factory in Wellington, and opened a second plant in Pleasanton, Calif. Both use laser cutters and 3-D printers to make chairs, lamps, and jewelry, some of Ponoko’s hottest on-demand orders. Since the company’s September, 2007, launch, 10,000 clients have opened personal factory accounts, which allow them to buy, sell, and swap designs and order items. A U.S. site cuts shipping costs and carbon emissions, boosting Ponoko’s green cred among the MIY crowd.