Technology in the 21st Century - Your own factory and catalog showroom for almost no money!

Thousands of our readers are buyers who work in large companies to their own retail or wholesale businesses. Many use China and other countries around the world to base their manufacturing, if not sourcing operations. Many also outsource the entire production of their private label products to a host of companies in China that run the gamut of design, develop, manufacture, package and even drop ships the final product to the end customer.

Most however, must to some degree, own the merchandise in some form or pay for its development prior to sales. Recently, with the advent of the Internet and advancements in technology, a whole new market has been created where you really can own your own factory and catalog showroom for almost no money AND get drop shipments. This is definitely not for the big companies but for those owning their own small business to those that setup shop in Ebay to TaoBao and want to create unique products and use the technology of the 21st century, then this company and its business model may be just right for you!

Enter Ponoko – technology in the 21st Century.

Ponoko is the world’s first personal manufacturing platform. It’s the online space for a community of creators and consumers to use a global network of digital manufacturing hardware to co-create, make and trade individualized product ideas on demand.

The ponoko.com marketplace connects creators, consumers, digital manufacturing hardware and service providers to promote, make and trade products on Ponoko and social networking websites.

Here is more information from Trendwatching.com from their 8 important consumer trends for 2008.

New Zealand-based Ponoko (which works like a CafePress for 3D objects) is offering consumers a new way to turn their creative ideas into real-world objects. After uploading their own design to the website (in EPS file format), or choosing a free design, users can choose from a variety of materials. Ponoko then runs the design through a laser cutter. Besides offering access to professional tools to manufacture products, Ponoko also helps users bring their products to market. Once they’re ready to sell, members can add photos of their product to their profile page, together with a description and pricing information. Products can either be delivered to the designer for assembly before being shipped to customers, or self-assembly products can be sent directly to the end-customer. Ponoko currently only offers two-dimensional sheet cutting, which limits designs to flat objects or three-dimensional objects that can be assembled from flat pieces, but plans for 3D printing are in the works.

As well as being a manufacturing platform, Ponoko also serves as a community where fledgling one-off fabricators and designers can exchange ideas and help solve each other’s problems. The larger goal, according to Ponoko, is to be a catalyst that helps bring personal manufacturing of individualized products to the masses.

So when you get to the point where you are doing well with this business model, come back and share your stories and we may conclude with the possibility that by that time, China may be once again the place where you scale your business. So, yes, China is still in the picture and so is good old manufacturing!