Do we want to see more locally designed and produced products in the marketplace?

Do we want to see an increase in local manufacturing?

Of course we do!

What is M+Dc?

M+Dc is short for Manufacturers + Designers Connect. It is a project that aims to have local manufacturers and local designers work together in a new way to produce goods for the local marketplace. M+Dc intends to encourage growth in local design and production in a sustainable way by reversing the way they currently work together.

Why M+Dc?

Currently, manufacturers are approached by designers with fully realized designs. Often times these designs use different materials and/or processes than what the manufacturer is used to. When this happens, the designer has to change elements of the design and adapt it to what the manufacturer can produce. This process is often full of headaches. The manufacturer feels that time and money is unnecessarily spent trying to achieve a producible product while the designer feels their original design intent is compromised.

Plus, many manufacturers are working at less than full capacity. Manufacturers need more business, but not at the expense of efficiently conducting the business they currently have.

Manufacturers + Designers Connect aims to improve collaboration and make new things possible with existing manufacturing technologies. This involves an extensive process of assessing the capabilities, commonly used materials, processes, tooling methods, and capacity of the manufacturer and bringing this into the design at its inception. The results of this new way of working can lead to new designs that are streamlined to be produced locally.