We often think of manufacturing as something that happens far away. When we picture a factory, our minds go to massive, smoke belching buildings or sprawling industrial parks tucked away in a corner of the world we never visit. This centralized model has worked for a century, but it has one major flaw: distance. In a world that moves faster every day, waiting weeks for a part to be built in a different country and shipped across an ocean is becoming a luxury we can no longer

For decades, we have been told that manufacturing is a giant, heavy, and static thing. When you think of a factory, you likely imagine a massive building with deep concrete foundations, roaring machinery, and a permanent address. If you wanted something built, you ordered it from that address and waited for a truck to bring it to you. But as the world gets faster and the places we work become more remote, that old model is starting to show its cracks. What happens if you are