The Story of a Distributed Manufacturing Response Led by Stratasys Direct

In October 2024, a major hurricane struck the U.S., leaving destruction in its wake—including the disruption of a critical injection molding supply chain for a top automotive manufacturer. With production at a standstill and losses mounting by the hour, the company turned to Stratasys Direct, one of the world’s largest additive manufacturing service providers, for a solution. Justin "Bud" Runquist, VP of Sales and Marketing at Stratasys Direct, led the charge in mobilizing an emergency manufacturing response. They quickly recognized that meeting the demand—500 parts per day, with the first shipment needed within seven days—required a network approach and reached out to trusted partners, including DI Labs, to expand capacity.

The response from the additive manufacturing community was overwhelmingly positive. Manufacturers across the industry stepped in, demonstrating the power of distributed manufacturing: a collaborative, decentralized approach that allows for rapid scaling.

In this episode of Solutionology Stories, hosts Carl and Brian Douglass sit down with Bud to talk about the challenges, innovations, and impact of this inspiring story and how it can be a blueprint for additive manufacturing's role in times of crisis and beyond.

00:00 Welcome Bud
02:31 Line Down!
11:00 Quality Standards for Distributed Manufacturing
15:21 Pushing Use Cases for Volume Production
25:34 A Tipping Point for Additive Manufacturing

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More about DI Labs: https://dilabs.cc/

More about Stratasys Direct: https://www.stratasys.com/en/stratasysdirect/

Welcome to the latest edition of our Solutionology Stories newsletter and podcast featuring insights from our client, Jamie Duininck the CEO of Prinsco, Inc. He's a third-generation owner and leader of a family business that provides water management solutions to the agricultural, stormwater, residential, and onsite markets. Jamie is a creative, out-of-the-box thinker who is well respected across his company and industry for his leadership, candor, and ability to build relationships that have positively impacted his company's opportunities for growth and success.

In this episode, Jamie shares the formula he's developed and used over his 28-year career to successfully drive innovation and embrace change. His perspective offers valuable lessons for anyone seeking to make a lasting impact in their field.

00:00 Welcome
01:25 A Journey From Sales to CEO
03:06 Driving Innovation
11:10 Pro4 Story
20:34 Rewarding Relationships
21:38 Lessons on Leadership

Learn more about the Pro4 product development story, listen to Solutionology Stories Episode #26.

See the Pro4 case study: https://youtu.be/Tg1A12zf1DI

Learn more about Prinsco: https://ww.prinsco.com

Learn more about DI Labs: https://dilabs.cc

Join us behind the scenes of DI Labs' largest product development and launch program to date, powered by a digital-first approach. Spanning eight years, this transformative journey began in 2015 with a rough business plan. It culminated in 2024 with the launch of a groundbreaking four-model product portfolio for Prinsco, a leader in water management solutions. Our guests on this episode of Solutionology Stories are Jason Ahrenholz, Prinsco's Director of Engineering, and Judd Effinger, Prinsco's Onsite Sales Manager.

Prinsco set out to disrupt a monopolized market by introducing a high-performance product alternative in the onsite septic industry. Achieving this vision required an unprecedented commitment to resource allocation, leadership alignment, and long-term success—all underpinned by a digital mindset.

As Prinsco's development partner, DI Labs utilized cutting-edge digital manufacturing techniques, including additive manufacturing, to innovate, prototype, and create a full-scale model for prelaunch marketing. Tune in to discover how this digital approach enabled breakthrough solutions and redefined product development success.

00:00 Intro
03:24 Market Opportunity
7:47 Injection Molding to Thermoforming
15:41 Back to Injection Molding
24:06 Market Launch
31:01 Project Takeaways

Watch an on-location report from the testing pit.

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Learn more about DI Labs: dilabs.cc