Production facilities are at the core of your impact on the circular production in your territory.
Why does it matter?
Fab City Hubs are dedicated to local production, but this does not mean they are replacing factories. Instead, FCHs are cultural spaces that activate a transition towards a more circular production ecosystem. In that sense, FCH production facilities foster innovation, reskilling, training, citizen empowerment, social connection, and conviviality. Machines and services are calibrated according to the community's needs and internal resources and capacity.
Key aspects
Here are a few key aspects to consider when defining the production facilities of your Fab City Hub:
Ask your community
Production facilities should serve your community's needs, so defining the final shopping list of machines and tools with your members is crucial. This can be done by organizing a meet-up for local makers or food entrepreneurs willing to launch an activity for local production. For example, you could launch a call on the Meetup platform and/or use the fishbowl technique for debating. A full list of equipment for Fab Labs is provided by the platform fablab.io.
Study your local context
It is important to define your production facilities in relation to what the territory is providing and/or lacking.
As an example, if you are opening your Fab City Hub next to a 3D printing factory, you may not focus your facilities on 3D printers. On the contrary, if there is a strong demand for tools for woodworking, you should consider this as a focus for your hub.
In order to understand your local context, here are a few strategies you could try:
Check for studies or reports that may exist in your local context on topics such as industrial innovation, social inclusion, and craftsmanship. You can usually find them through desk research, by checking resources of your local administration (city council, regional departments, or local agencies for development). As an example, you can check the website of the Great Paris Investment agency to get a sense of what you could look for.
Attend local events of craftspeople, urban agriculture workers, makers, industry leaders, etc. This will help you gain an understanding of the ecosystem and its main trends.
Find a Fab City champion
Production of goods requires specific skills.
If you are developing a large-scale 3D printing hub, you will need skills in 3D modeling, robotics, and material science. While if you are setting up a collaborative kitchen for vegan food, you will need skills in cooking and sanitary regulations.
In any case, having a dedicated person in the team or in the community is mandatory to comply with the expectations of your future users. This would also be helpful in redirecting requests or specific needs of the segment of your community that is interested in production facilities. If you do not have this profile in your team or in your community, you could launch a call for interest in your area and ask for support from your local partners.