Factorem: Singapore’s AI Bridge Between Designers and Manufacturers
In the global race toward faster, smarter manufacturing, a quiet revolution is underway in Singapore. Two founders, Hardik Dobariya and Alexandra Zhang, are reimagining how companies source custom-made parts. Their startup, Factorem, launched in 2020, has built an on-demand manufacturing platform powered by artificial intelligence. The system connects companies directly with vetted factories across Southeast Asia, promising faster turnaround, greater transparency, and zero minimum order requirements.
The Vision Behind Factorem
Dobariya and Zhang founded Factorem after encountering the same frustration faced by thousands of engineers and designers: the challenge of finding reliable manufacturers for small or specialized production runs. Traditional manufacturing models often favor large orders, long lead times, and rigid supply chains. Factorem flips that logic by building a flexible network where any company, from startups to global enterprises, can upload a design file, receive instant quotes, and have parts delivered within days.
The company’s name reflects its mission: to create a new “factory ecosystem” where technology removes friction. Its platform acts as a digital bridge between design and production, bringing precision, predictability, and accessibility to custom manufacturing.
How It Works
Factorem’s process begins when a user uploads a 3D design or technical drawing to the platform. The company’s AI engine analyzes the file, determines technical requirements, and matches it with the most suitable manufacturing partner from its network. Materials, tolerances, and surface finishes are all evaluated automatically. Once a match is made, the platform generates an instant quote and estimated delivery timeline.
Behind this seamless experience is a carefully curated network of over 150 manufacturers based across Southeast Asia. These partners range from CNC machining specialists to 3D printing and sheet metal fabrication experts. By distributing production among multiple factories, Factorem ensures scalability without owning physical infrastructure. It is a manufacturing network built more like a cloud, distributed, efficient, and adaptive.
For clients, the benefits are clear. Designers no longer need to negotiate with multiple vendors or worry about quality control. Factorem handles logistics, standardizes pricing, and monitors production to maintain consistency. This removes the traditional bottlenecks that slow down innovation in hardware development.
A Data-Driven Supply Chain
What sets Factorem apart is its reliance on data intelligence. The platform constantly learns from each project, analyzing production times, defect rates, and pricing patterns to refine its algorithms. This feedback loop allows it to make more accurate cost estimates and improve partner recommendations over time.
For small companies and startups, this means access to industrial-grade production without the traditional barriers of cost and scale. For large corporations, it provides flexibility to prototype or localize production quickly, especially in sectors such as robotics, medical devices, and automotive components.
In essence, Factorem transforms manufacturing from a static process into a dynamic service. Its AI-driven model shortens design-to-market cycles and supports the growing trend of decentralized production.
Funding and Strategic Growth
In October 2023, Factorem closed a seed funding round led by Seeds Capital, the investment arm of Enterprise Singapore, along with robotics-focused Blue InCube. The exact figure was undisclosed, but the funding marked a significant endorsement of Factorem’s approach to intelligent manufacturing.
The investment is being directed toward expanding its technology team and enhancing its AI-driven quoting system. Factorem also plans to integrate predictive analytics to help manufacturers optimize capacity and reduce waste. The long-term goal is to build a manufacturing intelligence layer that not only connects buyers and producers but also anticipates future demand across industries.
Singapore’s strategic location makes it an ideal launchpad. Positioned between advanced manufacturing hubs like Japan and emerging markets in Southeast Asia, the city-state offers both infrastructure and policy support. The government’s emphasis on digital transformation aligns closely with Factorem’s mission to modernize manufacturing through data and automation.
Redefining Production in Southeast Asia
The rise of Factorem also signals a broader regional shift. Southeast Asia is increasingly seen as a global alternative to traditional manufacturing giants. With its network of skilled suppliers and improved logistics, the region is poised to play a key role in global supply diversification. Factorem’s model leverages this potential by linking regional manufacturers to a global customer base.
By removing minimum order constraints, the company empowers smaller manufacturers to participate in high-value projects while helping clients reduce lead times. This democratization of production could redefine how industrial capacity is distributed across developing markets.
The Future of On-Demand Manufacturing
As global supply chains continue to face disruption, Factorem represents a pragmatic evolution, one where speed and adaptability outweigh scale alone. Its platform illustrates how artificial intelligence can turn manufacturing into a service accessible to all, not just industrial giants.
For founders Hardik Dobariya and Alexandra Zhang, the mission is as much about efficiency as empowerment. They envision a future where any designer, anywhere in the world, can bring a physical product to life without being limited by geography or volume.
Factorem’s story is more than a tale of innovation; it is a glimpse into how Southeast Asia’s factories are going digital, one algorithm, one part, and one verified connection at a time.
