Tokyo’s Kabuku Inc. has just launched a closed beta test of their Rinkak 3D Printing Manufacturing Management Service. It’s a new, cloud-based business management service designed specifically for the need of modern 3D printing service bureaus equipped with 3D printers.
The company says Rinkak 3D Printing MMS is “a one-stop manufacturing service solution covering everything from the automated creation of a website, to smooth the process of receiving new orders, to manufacturing and sales management tools.”
Rinkak Marketplace is a 3D creators’ market which applies 3D manufacturing technology to uploaded designs and their parent company, Kabuku, has in the past partnered with Dentsu to work with major brands like The Conran Shop, Calpis, Softbank, Fuji TV, Hakuhodo, and Tokyo University.
Rinkak 3D Printing MMS also features automated job quotation, automated 3D data analysis software, manufacturing process management and sales management features. Rinkak says all that functionality is rolled into the package. The key features of the Rinkak 3D Printing MMS are, among others, the ability to provide a “one stop solution” for order receipt and sales management, automated creation of an ecommerce website to receive print orders, online payment tools, an automated quoting system, client information management, client communication optimization, manufacturing process management and even automated invoice and delivery features.
The company says that while not all these features will be available during the BETA test period, they will be made available upon the official release of the service.
The MMS allows the addition of information about printer customization, tools to inform clients and potential clients of the specific data requirements of your printers and any conditional manufacturing requirements a bureau may have in place, and the ability to register and display a full list of materials on offer. The MMS also allows bureaus to list post-print finishing services such as polishing, coating, painting or dyeing, which might be available.
The company also says that anyone already a member of the Rinkak Printing Partnership Program can sign up to take part in this test release, and that the current service will be offered free of charge. They say that, based on user feedback following the BETA test, the full service will officially launch this summer.
Rinkak says they expect to offer three licensing options, and each of those options will include access to various levels of the full functionality. Licensing fees are expected to include a free option, as well as $250 and $450 per month option sets. There will also be a 5-10% fee on the manufacturing cost of each order, but Rinkak says volume discounts will apply for large-quantity orders.
Will you sign up for the Rinkak 3D Printing MMS program BETA test? Does this kind of business and product management service appeal to you? Let us know in the Rinkak 3D Printing MMS forum thread on 3DPB.com.
