The UK arm of a global digital manufacturing service, based in Telford, that makes custom prototypes and small production runs by CNC machining, injection moulding and 3D printing.
Protolabs describes itself as a digital manufacturing service that helps companies make quality parts across a product's life. Customers send a digital design, get a quick quote and receive parts in days. The main services are injection moulding, CNC machining, 3D printing and sheet metal work. CNC machining means a computer-controlled machine cuts a part from a block of metal or plastic. Injection moulding means melted plastic is pushed into a metal mould to make many copies. The company says it has served around 300,000 customers and made about 700 million parts around the world.
The business was founded in 1999 in the United States and began by making moulded prototypes using automated software. Its stated aim is to turn customers' ideas into reality at every stage of a product, and its vision is to speed up innovation by changing how manufacturing works. In Europe the company has put a lot of emphasis on speed. Its European managing director Bjoern Klaas said in 2019 that the focus is on speed, and the Telford general manager Lee Ball said the site expansion would give the platform to deliver its on-demand manufacturing offer. The company also launched Protolabs Network, a group of partner manufacturers.
The European headquarters is at Halesfield 8 in Telford, Shropshire, where Protolabs Europe is based. A 2019 announcement described a 50,000 square foot extension to the Telford factory with at least 50 more CNC machines and 20 more injection moulding presses, bringing the site to about 300 machines. At that time the company said it employed over 440 people in Telford, expected more than 500 by the end of 2021, and had a 20-strong UK team reviewing designs. The 3D printing facility is in Germany, not Telford. The company has won the Queen's Award for International Trade three times.
Protolabs says it values its employees and looks for "dynamic, smart, and creative" people. It supports local STEM projects in schools through the Protolabs Foundation, which is a link to education that students can look out for. It holds quality certifications including ISO 9001, ISO 13485 for medical devices and AS9100D for aerospace. The leadership names we found are global rather than UK-specific, so we do not list them. The company's own descriptions are the main source, so treat them as claims.
A site like Telford employs a wide range of people: machine operators and setup technicians, toolmakers who make the moulds, design engineers who check customers' designs, quality inspectors, software and process specialists, logistics staff and customer service teams. If you like seeing a design become a real part within days, or enjoy working with machines, data and quality checks, it is a good place to look at how modern factories run. The addition of anodising and inspection reporting in 2019 shows the range of finishing skills inside the business.
Website: www.protolabs.co.uk
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