It’s been a minute …

We are so busy running that we forget to stop and tell stories, so here’s one of those “just the facts” sort of updates.

It has been a crazy last few months as our landlord had decided to sell the home of our main facility. That brought up a few months of brainstorming about how to best locate Kijenzi. But rather than be paralyzed by the big decision, we decided to fall back on what we do best … just get back to manufacturing. Since then we have been literally on world record pace.

• We found a new location in Kisumu that can accommodate post-processing of parts.
• We completed an agreement with Prusa 3D and the Czech government that avails us first access to new machines and took delivery of 11 new machines keeping us as the largest digital manufacturer in the region thanks to the generosity and faith of the Czech government and Prusa3D.
• Under the leadership of David Oginga, our manufacturing lead, we just passed 100,000 units manufactured. More 3D printed units than anyone else on the continent?!
• Thanks to the largest single 3D printed order ever placed (so we are told) we will be coming close to 200,000 units within a months time. This order will allow tens of thousands of low income farmers to be more productive in these tough times.
• To meet the deadline of this order we are also now distributing manufacturing using two other 3D print suppliers in the region — testing the quality and delivery model we had been working on.
• Thanks to great collaboration led by our process engineer Simon Lipsky, we delivered an order to a Japanese firm of their design that is now being exported back to Japan and to Vietnam. This product will enable a huge leap in eye care in rural communities around the world. We will soon go into a second round of development and manufacturing that will allow us to expand production on this product.
• With the great work of Elvis Ogweno we are now set to start an expanded trial with CURE International for the expedited delivery of custom orthotics to their patients. We will be setting up satellite manufacturing at their facility in Kijabe within the next two months but product and process development has already begun.
• Kijenzi has had its first net profit quarter and we will follow that up with another one next quarter.

We are currently looking for support that will enable the CURE International trial to expand to allow for testing the distributed production of customized P&O products.

Don’t forget to reach out to me to learn more about what we are doing and how we are doing it.