“Thanks to additive manufacturing and 3D printing, I think we are moving towards a kind of maker generation again and a kind of mass maker society,” Antoniuk says.
Still, large-scale customization platforms like Gantri’s are unlikely to completely revolutionize the high-end market.
“Luxury industries will always exist,” Antoniuk says. “It is the most stable industry in the world. It never dies. It is recession-proof and depression-proof simply because of the rich.”
But there’s a bigger picture. As clever as the lamps are, they’re not really the main ambition behind Gantri You. The program is also a proof of concept for Yang’s vision of a manufacturing process that allows physical factory production to function like software. Yang says this novel system has been the company’s goal virtually from the beginning.
“I think it’s time for Gantri to share our true vision,” Yang said. “It’s not just about making products. This has been the vision since day one.”
The ultimate goal, Yang says, is to treat physical production in a factory the same way you would handle a software system. By modifying the code, you can change the dimensions, composition or visual aspects of each individual part. Gantri happens to be an enterprise manufacturing software company that makes its living as a distributor of light fixtures.
Currently, Gantri’s production process still relies on the same bioplastics it’s been using for years, but Yang says the company is working to incorporate new materials into its additive process. That means it’s possible to go from lamps to tables to sofas and even beyond furniture. Gantri has partnered with other furniture companies, and after a lot of tweaking and now with the ability for users to modify all sorts of options, Yang hopes his company’s new manufacturing system can be applied to all sorts of industries.
Antoniuk says that kind of flexibility, both in design and customization, bodes well for the way people think about the products they consume. For much of human history, Antoniuk notes, the creators were blacksmiths. People lived in close-knit communities where they could see how their products were made and were very aware of what was being consumed — the materials, the manual labor and the waste. In an age of mass-produced products, people are removed from that process and have no emotional attachment to what it takes to make something. Giving them a hand in that could help remind them of the process.
“People just stopped thinking they were responsible for this,” Antoniuk says. “There is a chance that everything will be a little bit closer to us again. I think it is a very important part of our future and what it could become.”