Among concerns about supply chain uncertainty, Fictiv Inc., a manufacturing company, has announced the launch of GlobalFlex, an injection molding solution to help solve supply chain disruptions.
GlobalFlex is an injection molding process that allows Fictiv to make tool inserts in China and pivot production to other facilities including in North America.
With challenges like extreme weather events, tariffs, labor shortages, logistics bottleneck and trade conflicts, Fictiv is lightening the risks companies must take by allowing customers to decide where production takes place.
GlobalFlex can shift production between manufacturing facilities in the U.S. and Mexico, offering different cost efficiencies to customers.
"Over the past few years, we've seen shutdowns and we've seen logistics issues, and we've seen all these different things where people have to pivot and move and have flexibility in their supply chain," said Robbie Long, product marketing manager of injection molding at San Francisco-based Fictiv. "We think this is the best way to address that and give them that built in flexibility so they know that if something changes tomorrow, we can move that tool."
Fictiv was founded in 2013 with a mission of sourcing custom mechanical parts. The company has utilized multiple operations in the U.S and China since 2015, India since 2023 and Mexico since 2024.
With GlobalFlex, the company can also speed up overseas production, become more cost effective and connect the digital supply chain for custom manufacturing by partnering with suppliers at Supply Chain Centers of Excellence.
"If they do decide to ship the tool, because it's an insert, the cost effectiveness of shipping the tool would be a bit better than if you were shipping a full injection mold tool," Long said.
Fictiv partners with shops that use Mantle, an automated tool-making system that combines CNC machining, 3D printing and tool steels to make injection molding inserts.
The two companies' partnership started about three months ago because of Mantle's metal paste that achieves a polish finish. Mantle system uses precision tooling that provides a more automating process to be quicker and more cost effective.
"If a customer is looking to make parts quickly, they really have to have their tools made in the US, for a lot of different reasons," Long said. "Mantle becomes a good alternative to keep that price for the tooling more reasonable, more in line globally."