Protolabs has launched its new digital quoting platform to further accelerate and improve customers’ e-commerce experience. The platform was rolled out to its European customers in early November, and a U.S. launch is set to follow in the coming months.
In response to the need for a more streamlined quoting and ordering experience that supports accelerated product development and on-demand manufacturing needs, the new platform brings a comprehensive tool for both product development and procurement teams looking for a more efficient, online-based process for manufacturing. The launch comes at a time when companies and manufacturers alike look to respond to extreme challenges in their markets and supply chains.
“The focus now, more than ever, is on speed and making sure new products are either first to market or ready when the end customer needs them,” said Bjoern Klaas, Vice President and Managing Director of Protolabs Europe. “That is why we are so excited to be launching our brand new digital quoting experience.”
In addition to a modern, user-friendly interface, the new quoting platform lets users better manage their project requirements, collaborate easier with colleagues, and see new levels of transparency into their orders. Like the previous platform, its flagship feature—interactive design for manufacturability (DFM) analysis—remains, but is more intuitive than ever before.
“Speed in testing parts, speed in getting products to market fast, speed in manufacturing throughout product life cycles—these have always been vital elements in any project. But they are even more so now,” explained Rich Baker, Protolabs’ CTO who led the launch of the platform. “Unprecedented changes in many of our markets are underway due to customer demand and the ongoing pandemic, but technological advancement in manufacturing are throwing the doors of innovation wide open to allow suppliers and their customers to pivot quickly. And that agility is often the difference between success and failure.”
Klaas closed with a look back, and a look forward, “We revolutionized manufacturing two decades ago by automating the traditional manufacturing process. And we are revolutionizing it once again through this new platform. It is a very intriguing time for manufacturing, and we recognize that as consumer needs change, supply chains must evolve with them to support their needs along the way. Our new e-commerce system does just that.”
