Release Details

New advanced manufacturing facility spotlights company’s two decades of growth

MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 16, 2019-- Digital manufacturer Protolabs (NYSE: PRLB) is celebrating its 20-year anniversary with today’s grand opening of its state-of-the-art advanced manufacturing facility in Brooklyn Park, Minn. The 215,000 sq. ft. CNC machining facility, which currently houses nearly 300 mills and lathes, is Protolabs’ eighth manufacturing plant in the United States, and 12^th globally.

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There are nearly 300 mills and lathes at Protolabs' new 215,000 sq. ft. advanced manufacturing facility in Brooklyn Park, Minn. The facility is the company's 12th plant globally. Credit: Protolabs

The new facility is the centerpiece of Protolabs’ 20^th anniversary—a milestone the company reached in May. Founded in 1999, Protolabs has seen aggressive growth over the past two decades due to its manufacturing model that couples digital front-end part analysis with automated toolpathing to produce custom machined components in as fast as 24 hours.

“We are truly living in an on-demand consumer economy and that’s no different for manufacturing. Our customers are hungry for manufacturing partners that can see their products through ever-shrinking life cycles and Protolabs is uniquely positioned to serve our customers’ needs from early prototyping to on-demand production,” explained Vicki Holt, President and CEO at Protolabs.

The global digital manufacturer now serves more than 45,000 unique product developers each year, across three continents and 60 countries. Over the past 20 years Protolabs has grown in capabilities with four flagship services and 11 manufacturing technologies, and has added capacity with more than 1 million sq. ft. of manufacturing space that houses over 1,000 machines producing nearly 4 million parts each month.

“Protolabs has exceeded my wildest dreams,” said Larry Lukis, Protolabs’ founder. “The company was born out of personal frustration that manufacturing parts took months, when it could take days or even minutes. There needed to be a way to make it easier and faster for product developers to get prototype parts and accelerate development cycles. Protolabs has achieved that goal and made advanced manufacturing technologies accessible for everyone, from makers to startups to Fortune 500 companies.”

An official grand opening celebration and ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held from 2 to 5 p.m. today at the Brooklyn Park facility, providing community and industry leaders with an opportunity see the smart facility firsthand.

About Protolabs
Protolabs is a leading digital manufacturing source for rapid prototyping and on-demand production. The company produces custom parts and assemblies in as fast as one day with automated 3D printing, CNC machining, sheet metal fabrication, and injection molding processes. Its digital approach to manufacturing enables accelerated time to market, reduces development and production costs, and minimizes risk throughout the product life cycle. Visit protolabs.com for more information.

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Source: Protolabs

Alex Cardenas
Highwire for Protolabs
650-218-8576

Sarah Ekenberg
Marketing Manager, PR & Media
763-479-7560