Distributed Manufacturing: Manufacturing Marketplaces Examples
| 3deverything | 3D Hubs | ACCM | Alibaba | COIN | Eezee | eWorldTrade | Fictiv | Geomiq | Global sources | GoDirect Trade | GTMA | Klarx | City | MFG | Prowexx | made-in-china.com | Trade Boss | TradeKey | Tradeshift | Xometry | Zetwerk | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Industry | 3d printing | Custom manufacturing | Services marketplace | Multiple | Numismatics | Construction/manufacturing-oriented e-commerce | Multiple | Custom manufacturing | Custom manufacturing | E-commerce, lots of electronics | Aerospace | Manufacturing | Construction | Manufacturing | Food | Multiple | Multiple | Multiple | Multiple | Multiple | Manufacturing | Manufacturing |
| Region | UK | International | Singapore | International | International | Singapore | International | US | International | Asia | International | UK | Germany | US | International | UK | China | International | International | International | International | International |
| Description | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Business Model | Aggregation | Marketplace exchange, Affiliation, Peer-to-peer | Aggregation, Agora | Aggregation, Peer-to-Peer. Subscription, Trust intermediary, Buy/Sell fulfillment | Aggregation, Affiliation, Peer-to-Peer, Exclusive market-making, Brokerage of specific assets, Subscription, Trust intermediary, Buy/Sell fulfillment | Aggregation, Affiliation, Trust intermediary, Buy/Sell fulfillment | Aggregation, Agora, Subscription | Aggregation, Agora, Brokerage | Marketplace exchange, Agora, Affiliation, Aggregation, Trust intermediary | Aggregation, Affiliation, Trust intermediary, Buy/Sell fulfillment | Aggregation, Affiliation, Exclusive market-making, Brokerage of specific assets, Trust intermediary, Buy/Sell fulfillment | Aggregation, Agora, Subscription | Aggregation, Affiliation, Exclusive market-making, Brokerage of specific assets, Trust intermediary | Aggregation, Agora, Brokerage, Marketplace exchange, Subscription | Aggregation, Affiliation, Subscription, Exclusive market-making, Brokerage of specific assets, Trust intermediary, Buy/Sell fulfillment | Aggregation, Agora | Aggregation, Agora | Aggregation, Agora, Subscription | Aggregation, Agora, Subscription | Aggregation, Affiliation, Agora, Marketplace exchange, Subscription, Trust intermediary, Buy/Sell fulfillment | Marketplace exchange, Agora, Affiliation, Aggregation, Trust intermediary | Marketplace exchange, Agora, Affiliation, Aggregation, Trust intermediary |
| Monitisation | Free-to-use | Commission fees from transactions | Free-to-use | Subscription (annual) which includes keyword ad budget per subscription plan | Advertising fee paid individually by users + subscription options with no freemium | Commission fees from transactions | Premium membership (annual) | Commission fees from transactions | Commission fees from transactions | Transaction fees and additional fee for their manual matching tool. | Commission fees from transactions | Premium membership (annual) | Custom project requests and possibly some transaction fees. | supplier subscription | Subscription (monthly) | Free-to-use | Free-to-use | Membership to obtain better visibility of own product and services and get explicit info of other suppliers and buyers/ Credits to top up the wallet and then spend on ads and better visibility within the platform | Premium membership to get a better visibility and receive manual help from the platform’s specialists in finding suppliers/buyers, negotiating and closing deals on your behalf. | Transaction fees and potentially paid add-ons within the user dashboard (e.g. inventory management add-on) | Transaction fees and additional fees for more urgent delivery | Unclear – either platform subscription fee or transaction fees, or both. |
| Supplier directory | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Supplier profile | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | No | Yes | Product/part certificate is provided instead | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Supplier admin verification | Yes | No supplier account | Yes | Yes | Trusted sellers | Yes | Yes | No Supplier account | No Supplier account | Yes | No | No Supplier account | No Supplier account | Yes | Yes | No Supplier account | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No Supplier account |
| Buyer admin verification | Unclear | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No buyer account | No | Yes | Yes | No buyer account | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Matching tool / filter / categories | No | No | Filter | Categories | Filter | Categories | Categories | No | No | Categories | Categories | Filter | Categories | Categories | Categories | Matching tool | Filter | Filter | Categories | No | Categories | Categories |
| Enquiry form from Buyers to Suppliers | Unclear | No | When logged in | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| Messaging | Unclear | Cannot check without previous order confirmation | No | No | No | No | No | Cannot check without previous order confirmation | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| RFI/RFQ | Unclear | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | No |
| Online ordering/billing/invoicing | Unclear | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | No |
| Data analytics tool for Suppliers | Unclear | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Unclear | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
Affiliation
Refer customers to a third party and receive a commission for a specific transaction completed (e.g., click, give information, buy product).
Agent model
Represent the buyer or the seller and earn commissions for successful facilitation of transactions.
Aggregation
Build a specific form of broker preselecting products/ services and target audience – hence, key process is matching of needs.
Agora
Build a specific form of broker preselecting products/ services and target audience – hence, key process is matching of needs.
Broker of specific assets
Broker that deal with specific assets.
Brokerage
Bring together and facilitate transactions between buyers and sellers, charging a fee for each successful transaction.
Buy/Sell fulfilment
Take customer orders to buy or sell a product or service, including terms like price and delivery.
Disintermediation
Deliver a product or service that has traditionally gone through an intermediary directly to a customer.
Exclusive market-making
Bring together specific, highly targeted, qualified audiences for trading.
Marketplace exchange
Build a specific form of broker also offering a full range of services covering the transaction process, from market assessment to negotiation and fulfilment for an industry consortium.
Mass customization
Customize a commodity products to the customers’ specific preferences.
Open source
Develop a product not by a company, but by a public community with all information being available publicly.
Peer-to-peer
Facilitates a transaction among peers, i.e., two or more consumers, through provision of a platform.
Trust intermediary
Provide a third-party payment mechanism for buyers and sellers to settle a transaction.
User Design
Customers invent products that afterwards are produced by the company.
Platform
The platform allows anyone who needs 3d printing services to find a supply from a network of providers and establish a contact with no fee.
| Industry | Services marketplace |
| Region | Singapore |
| Business model* (Weking et al, 2018) | Aggregation |
| Monetisation | Free-to-use |
| Supplier directory | Yes |
| Supplier profile | Yes |
| Supplier admin verification | Yes |
| Buyer admin verification | Unclear |
| Matching tool / Filter / Categories | No |
| Enquiry form from Buyers to Suppliers | Unclear |
| Messaging | Unclear |
| RFI/RFQ | Unclear |
| Online ordering/billing/invoicing | Unclear |
| Data analytics tool for Suppliers | Unclear |
3D Hubs
3d parts on-demand manufacturing, connecting the demand with distributed network of small-scale providers of 3d printing services.
| Industry | Custom manufacturing |
| Region | International |
| Business model* (Weking et al, 2018) | Marketplace exchange, Affiliation, Peer-to-peer |
| Monetisation | Commission fees from transactions |
| Supplier directory | No |
| Supplier profile | No |
| Supplier admin verification | No supplier account |
| Buyer admin verification | No |
| Matching tool / Filter / Categories | No |
| Enquiry form from Buyers to Suppliers | No |
| Messaging | Cannot check without previous order confirmation |
| RFI/RFQ | Yes |
| Online ordering/billing/invoicing | Yes |
| Data analytics tool for Suppliers | No |
ACCM
Buyers can find technology/service suppliers through both direct search and tenders.
| Industry | Services marketplace |
| Region | Singapore |
| Business model* (Weking et al, 2018) | Aggregation, Agora |
| Monetisation | Free-to-use |
| Supplier directory | Yes |
| Supplier profile | Yes |
| Supplier admin verification | Yes |
| Buyer admin verification | Yes |
| Matching tool / Filter / Categories | Filter |
| Enquiry form from Buyers to Suppliers | When logged in |
| Messaging | No |
| RFI/RFQ | No |
| Online ordering/billing/invoicing | No |
| Data analytics tool for Suppliers | No |
Alibaba
Platform providing wholesale options for buyers to order from multiple suppliers.
| Industry | Multiple |
| Region | International |
| Business model* (Weking et al, 2018) | Aggregation, Peer-to-Peer. Subscription, Trust intermediary, Buy/Sell fulfilment |
| Monetisation | Subscription (annual) which includes keyword ad budget per subscription plan |
| Supplier directory | No |
| Supplier profile | Yes |
| Supplier admin verification | Yes |
| Buyer admin verification | No |
| Matching tool / Filter / Categories | Categories |
| Enquiry form from Buyers to Suppliers | Yes |
| Messaging | No |
| RFI/RFQ | No |
| Online ordering/billing/invoicing | Yes |
| Data analytics tool for Suppliers | Yes |
COIN
C2C (mostly) platform connecting numismatists and those who sell coins. Sellers can get a better exposure if they buy a special add-on.
| Industry | Numismatics |
| Region | International |
| Business model* (Weking et al, 2018) | Aggregation, Affiliation, Peer-to-Peer, Exclusive market-making, Brokerage of specific assets, Subscription, Trust intermediary, Buy/Sell fulfilment |
| Monetisation | Advertising fee paid individually by users + subscription options with no freemium |
| Supplier directory | Yes |
| Supplier profile | No |
| Supplier admin verification | Trusted sellers |
| Buyer admin verification | No |
| Matching tool / Filter / Categories | Filter |
| Enquiry form from Buyers to Suppliers | No |
| Messaging | No |
| RFI/RFQ | No |
| Online ordering/billing/invoicing | Yes |
| Data analytics tool for Suppliers | No |
Eezee
B2B platform comprised of multiple categories across different industries.
| Industry | Construction/manufacturing-oriented e-commerce |
| Region | Singapore |
| Business model* (Weking et al, 2018) | Aggregation, Affiliation, Trust intermediary, Buy/Sell fulfilment |
| Monetisation | Commission fees from transactions |
| Supplier directory | No |
| Supplier profile | No |
| Supplier admin verification | Yes |
| Buyer admin verification | No |
| Matching tool / Filter / Categories | Categories |
| Enquiry form from Buyers to Suppliers | No |
| Messaging | No |
| RFI/RFQ | No |
| Online ordering/billing/invoicing | Yes |
| Data analytics tool for Suppliers | No |
e World Trade
Business directory across different industries.
| Industry | Multiple |
| Region | International |
| Business model* (Weking et al, 2018) | Aggregation, Agora, Subscription |
| Monetisation | Premium membership (annual) |
| Supplier directory | Yes |
| Supplier profile | Yes |
| Supplier admin verification | Yes |
| Buyer admin verification | No |
| Matching tool / Filter / Categories | Categories |
| Enquiry form from Buyers to Suppliers | Yes |
| Messaging | No |
| RFI/RFQ | No |
| Online ordering/billing/invoicing | No |
| Data analytics tool for Suppliers | No |
Fictiv
3d parts on-demand manufacturing, connecting the demand with distributed network of small-scale providers of 3d printing services.
| Industry | Custom manufacturing |
| Region | US |
| Business model* (Weking et al, 2018) | Aggregation, Agora, Brokerage |
| Monetisation | Commission fees from transactions |
| Supplier directory | No |
| Supplier profile | No |
| Supplier admin verification | No supplier account |
| Buyer admin verification | No |
| Matching tool / Filter / Categories | No |
| Enquiry form from Buyers to Suppliers | No |
| Messaging | Cannot check without previous order confirmation |
| RFI/RFQ | Yes |
| Online ordering/billing/invoicing | Yes |
| Data analytics tool for Suppliers | No |
Geomiq
3d, CNC machining, injection moulding and sheet metal providers come under the Geomiq brand and get the requests/orders from those who need to produce something.
| Industry | Custom manufacturing |
| Region | International |
| Business model* (Weking et al, 2018) | Marketplace exchange, Agora, Affiliation, Aggregation, Trust intermediary |
| Monetisation | Commission fees from transactions |
| Supplier directory | No |
| Supplier profile | No |
| Supplier admin verification | No supplier account |
| Buyer admin verification | No |
| Matching tool / Filter / Categories | No |
| Enquiry form from Buyers to Suppliers | No |
| Messaging | Yes |
| RFI/RFQ | Yes |
| Online ordering/billing/invoicing | Yes |
| Data analytics tool for Suppliers | No |
Global Sources
Platform providing wholesale and on-demand manufacturing options for buyers to order from multiple suppliers.
| Industry | E-commerce, lots of electronics |
| Region | Asia |
| Business model* (Weking et al, 2018) | Aggregation, Affiliation, Trust intermediary, Buy/Sell fulfilment |
| Monetisation | Transaction fees and additional fee for their manual matching tool. |
| Supplier directory | No |
| Supplier profile | Yes |
| Supplier admin verification | Yes |
| Buyer admin verification | No |
| Matching tool / Filter / Categories | Categories |
| Enquiry form from Buyers to Suppliers | Yes |
| Messaging | No |
| RFI/RFQ | No |
| Online ordering/billing/invoicing | Yes |
| Data analytics tool for Suppliers | No |
GoDirect Trade
B2B marketplace for buying parts for the aviation industry. Alternatively, a buyer can look for suppliers for repair works.
| Industry | Aerospace |
| Region | International |
| Business model* (Weking et al, 2018) | Aggregation, Affiliation, Exclusive market-making, Brokerage of specific assets, Trust intermediary, Buy/Sell fulfilment |
| Monetisation | Commission fees from transactions. |
| Supplier directory | No |
| Supplier profile | Product/part certificate is provided instead |
| Supplier admin verification | No supplier account |
| Buyer admin verification | No |
| Matching tool / Filter / Categories | Categories |
| Enquiry form from Buyers to Suppliers | Yes |
| Messaging | Yes |
| RFI/RFQ | No |
| Online ordering/billing/invoicing | Yes |
| Data analytics tool for Suppliers | No |
GTMA
Business directory across different industries.
| Industry | Manufacturing |
| Region | UK |
| Business model* (Weking et al, 2018) | Aggregation, Agora, Subscription |
| Monetisation | Premium membership (annual) |
| Supplier directory | Yes |
| Supplier profile | Yes |
| Supplier admin verification | No supplier account |
| Buyer admin verification | No buyer account |
| Matching tool / Filter / Categories | Filter |
| Enquiry form from Buyers to Suppliers | Yes |
| Messaging | No |
| RFI/RFQ | No |
| Online ordering/billing/invoicing | No |
| Data analytics tool for Suppliers | No |
Klarx
B2C and B2B construction machines and equipment rental on per day basis through both direct search and tender request. There’s an option to submit a project description with multiple machines requested and get the quote + best options from the platform specialist. Also, it’s possible to “subscribe” to machines if you need them at intervals. Additionally, you can buy used machines.
| Industry | Construction |
| Region | Germany |
| Business model* (Weking et al, 2018) | Aggregation, Affiliation, Exclusive market-making, Brokerage of specific assets, Trust intermediary |
| Monetisation | Custom project requests and possibly some transaction fees. |
| Supplier directory | No |
| Supplier profile | No |
| Supplier admin verification | No supplier account |
| Buyer admin verification | No |
| Matching tool / Filter / Categories | Categories |
| Enquiry form from Buyers to Suppliers | Yes |
| Messaging | No |
| RFI/RFQ | Yes |
| Online ordering/billing/invoicing | Yes |
| Data analytics tool for Suppliers | No |
MFG
A marketplace that makes it easy for buyers of custom parts to easily discover manufacturers.
| Industry | Manufacturing |
| Region | US |
| Business model* (Weking et al, 2018) | “Aggregation Agora Brokerage Marketplace exchange Subscription” |
| Monetisation | Supplier subscription. |
| Supplier directory | Yes |
| Supplier profile | Yes |
| Supplier admin verification | Yes |
| Buyer admin verification | Yes |
| Matching tool / Filter / Categories | Categories |
| Enquiry form from Buyers to Suppliers | Yes |
| Messaging | Yes |
| RFI/RFQ | No |
| Online ordering/billing/invoicing | Yes |
| Data analytics tool for Suppliers | No |
Prowexx
B2B food marketplace. Premium plans include custom market analysis, marketing materials development and other consultancy.
| Industry | Food |
| Region | International |
| Business model* (Weking et al, 2018) | Aggregation, Affiliation, Subscription, Exclusive market-making, Brokerage of specific assets, Trust intermediary, Buy/Sell fulfilment |
| Monetisation | Monthly subscription. |
| Supplier directory | Yes |
| Supplier profile | Yes |
| Supplier admin verification | No supplier account |
| Buyer admin verification | No buyer account |
| Matching tool / Filter / Categories | Matching tool |
| Enquiry form from Buyers to Suppliers | Yes |
| Messaging | No |
| RFI/RFQ | No |
| Online ordering/billing/invoicing | No |
| Data analytics tool for Suppliers | No |
Reshoring UK
UK business directory across multiple industries.
| Industry | Multiple |
| Region | UK |
| Business model* (Weking et al, 2018) | Aggregation, Agora |
| Monetisation | Free-to-use |
| Supplier directory | Yes |
| Supplier profile | Yes |
| Supplier admin verification | No supplier account |
| Buyer admin verification | No buyer account |
| Matching tool / Filter / Categories | Matching tool |
| Enquiry form from Buyers to Suppliers | Yes |
| Messaging | No |
| RFI/RFQ | No |
| Online ordering/billing/invoicing | No |
| Data analytics tool for Suppliers | No |
Made-in-China.com
Chinese business directory across multiple industries. Also possible for a buyer to submit a tender.
| Industry | Multiple |
| Region | China |
| Business model* (Weking et al, 2018) | Aggregation, Agora |
| Monetisation | Free-to-use |
| Supplier directory | Yes |
| Supplier profile | Yes |
| Supplier admin verification | Yes |
| Buyer admin verification | No |
| Matching tool / Filter / Categories | Filter |
| Enquiry form from Buyers to Suppliers | Yes |
| Messaging | No |
| RFI/RFQ | No |
| Online ordering/billing/invoicing | No |
| Data analytics tool for Suppliers | No |
Trade Boss
Worldwide business directory across multiple industries. It provides all registered businesses with their “own” websites like this.
| Industry | Multiple |
| Region | International |
| Business model* (Weking et al, 2018) | Aggregation, Agora, Subscription |
| Monetisation | Membership to obtain better visibility of own product and services and get explicit info of other suppliers and buyers/ Credits to top up the wallet and then spend on ads and better visibility within the platform |
| Supplier directory | Yes |
| Supplier profile | Yes |
| Supplier admin verification | No |
| Buyer admin verification | No |
| Matching tool / Filter / Categories | Filter |
| Enquiry form from Buyers to Suppliers | Yes |
| Messaging | No |
| RFI/RFQ | No |
| Online ordering/billing/invoicing | No |
| Data analytics tool for Suppliers | No |
Trade Key
Worldwide business directory to find both suppliers and distinct products. Tendering is available.
| Industry | Multiple |
| Region | International |
| Business model* (Weking et al, 2018) | Aggregation, Agora, Subscription |
| Monetisation | Premium membership to get a better visibility and receive manual help from the platform’s specialists in finding suppliers/buyers, negotiating and closing deals on your behalf. |
| Supplier directory | Yes |
| Supplier profile | Yes |
| Supplier admin verification | Yes |
| Buyer admin verification | No |
| Matching tool / Filter / Categories | Categories |
| Enquiry form from Buyers to Suppliers | Yes |
| Messaging | No |
| RFI/RFQ | No |
| Online ordering/billing/invoicing | No |
| Data analytics tool for Suppliers | No |
Trade Shift
Platform allowing businesses to make a list of their suppliers from the Tradeshift network in different industries and manage the whole purchase and supply process through the personal dashboard with multiple available plugins. Everything is done online in terms of finding partners, documentation, quoting, billing etc.
| Industry | Multiple |
| Region | International |
| Business model* (Weking et al, 2018) | Aggregation, Affiliation, Agora, Marketplace exchange, Subscription, Trust intermediary, Buy/Sell fulfilment |
| Monetisation | Transaction fees and potentially paid add-ons within the user dashboard (e.g. inventory management add-on). |
| Supplier directory | Yes |
| Supplier profile | Yes |
| Supplier admin verification | Yes |
| Buyer admin verification | No |
| Matching tool / Filter / Categories | No |
| Enquiry form from Buyers to Suppliers | Yes |
| Messaging | No |
| RFI/RFQ | No |
| Online ordering/billing/invoicing | Yes |
| Data analytics tool for Suppliers | No |
Xometry
Additive manufacturing marketplace with instant quoting. Connects buyers with different suppliers coming under the Xometry brand.
| Industry | Manufacturing |
| Region | International |
| Business model* (Weking et al, 2018) | Marketplace exchange, Agora, Affiliation, Aggregation, Trust intermediary |
| Monetisation | Transaction fees and additional fees for more urgent delivery. |
| Supplier directory | No |
| Supplier profile | No |
| Supplier admin verification | Yes |
| Buyer admin verification | No |
| Matching tool / Filter / Categories | Categories |
| Enquiry form from Buyers to Suppliers | No |
| Messaging | No |
| RFI/RFQ | Yes |
| Online ordering/billing/invoicing | Yes |
| Data analytics tool for Suppliers | No |
Zetwerk
B2B manufacturing services marketplace. Similar to Tradeshift – get access to the profile page where you can build your supply chain from. The profile dashboard also allows for inventory management.
| Industry | Manufacturing |
| Region | International |
| Business model* (Weking et al, 2018) | Marketplace exchange, Agora, Affiliation, Aggregation, Trust intermediary |
| Monetisation | Unclear – either platform subscription fee or transaction fees, or both. |
| Supplier directory | No |
| Supplier profile | No |
| Supplier admin verification | No supplier account |
| Buyer admin verification | No |
| Matching tool / Filter / Categories | Categories |
| Enquiry form from Buyers to Suppliers | Yes |
| Messaging | No |
| RFI/RFQ | No |
| Online ordering/billing/invoicing | No |
| Data analytics tool for Suppliers | No |