Louisville-based GE Appliances is working on their new micro-factory, FirstBuild. Located at the University of Louisville-Belknap, Firstbuild is the first of its kind in the appliance industry.
According to GE Appliances' vice president of technology, Kevin Nolan, “To win in the appliance industry, we have to innovate faster than ever before since we are now competing with companies that apply their rapid electronic products introduction strategy to the appliance industry.”
GE will ask the public to use the space to assist in developing features and parts for its appliances. The facility will be open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. three days a week. FirstBuild will include wood and metal shops with a kitchen and showroom demo area. They hope to bring in university students as well as people who enjoy tinkering around on their own.
With hopes of building a strong network of local community members, the location will give easy access to student activities such as advanced manufacturing and engineering.
Nolan adds, “This new model will enable us to be more creative in the design and delivery of the products and do so with lower risk and cost while drastically reducing the time from mind to market. FirstBuild will also enable us to move select products to larger scale production with more confidence because they will have been vetted by the new platform first.”
“We selected Louisville for the first micro-factory because of the strong collaborative innovation and entrepreneurial spirit that is nurtured by the UofL and our city government,” said Nolan.The University of Louisville has invested $1.3 million for renovation of the space, which was being used as a warehouse and distribution facility.
FirstBuild's first projects will target the future of cooking. The platform will provide an international community of creators with a place to surface new designs, as well as reiterate, prototype, and refine existing GE products.
Operations are expected to begin next month in the 35,000-square-foot facility, located at 333 Brandeis Ave.
According to their Facebook page, FirstBuild's mission is to invent a new world of home appliances by creating a socially-engaged community of home enthusiasts, designers, engineers, and makers that will share ideas, try them out, and build real products to improve your life.
Firstbuild Plans
To keep up with the happenings or to get involved withFirstBuild, follow theirTwitteror like them onFacebook.
GE's "FirstBuild" to Open Next Month by Liz Carroll
