Join Formlabs if you want to bring ground-breaking professional 3D printers to the desktop of every designer, engineer, researcher, and artist in the world.
Niki Entin, Global Operations Leader, shares everything you need to know about working on the Formlabs Operations team!
In this Video
Niki discusses:
What is Formlabs and its market impact?
Formlabs is a global company that develops 3D printing software, hardware, and materials to establish seamless, affordable workflows for professionals and creators. As a leading global supplier of stereolithography and selective laser sintering 3D printers, the company supports major industrial clients such as New Balance, Ford, Hasbro, and Gillette. These printers have produced over 300 million parts across medical, aerospace, and consumer product sectors.
How is the Formlabs operations team structured?
The Formlabs global operations division operates across the United States, Europe, and Asia. It covers key functions including sourcing, manufacturing, planning, logistics, fulfillment, and compliance. Additionally, Formlabs owns and operates its own materials manufacturing plant located in Ohio.
What do global sourcing and program management teams do at Formlabs?
The global sourcing team manages hardware supply chain strategy, which involves evaluating and selecting suppliers, negotiating costs, monitoring material availability, and managing ongoing vendor performance. The operations program management team ensures the operational readiness of new products. They collaborate cross-functionally with R&D, supplier quality, manufacturing, planning, and sourcing to align competing priorities and ensure seamless product launches during the New Product Introduction phase.
What engineering and supply chain challenges exist at Formlabs?
A primary challenge is scaling complex engineering designs into cost-effective, high-volume production. An example includes the Form 4 Light Processing Unit optical architecture. Sourcing the high-tolerance injection-molded lens and the specialized release texture on the LCD screen required collaborative research and development with global vendors to meet exact optical clarity and tolerance specifications.
What is the daily workflow for operations professionals at Formlabs?
The day-to-day role involves rapid task-switching. Sourcing and program managers coordinate with legal departments on supplier contracts, address manufacturing quality issues with engineering, and work with R&D on costing out early-stage designs. As product launches approach, the team runs daily supplier meetings to track quality metrics. For mass production, they manage continuous improvements, cost reductions, demand forecasting with planning, and occasional supply chain firefighting related to global logistics disruptions.
What candidate qualifications does the Formlabs operations team look for?
Formlabs seeks technical individuals with strong communication, collaboration, and negotiation skills. A background in engineering is highly valued because understanding the underlying manufacturing processes is essential for effective supplier negotiations. The interview process evaluates these attributes through technical assessments, take-home challenges, and virtual or on-site case studies simulating real-world supply chain problems.
What career growth opportunities are available within Formlabs operations?
Working in Formlabs operations offers broad exposure to global supply chains, including international travel to supplier facilities and hands-on experience with diverse manufacturing methods. The fast-paced growth of the company allows employees to transition across various roles in operations, product strategy, and sales strategy, including opportunities for international relocation to regional offices like China.
