Worcester's manufacturing future on display for McGovern

SAM BONACCI U.S. Rep. James McGovern speaks with Kevin Harrington and Paula Rudy during a tour of Technocopia in Worcester Wednesday.

Write a Comment

By Sam Bonacci

The future of manufacturing in Worcester was on display for U.S. Rep. James McGovern at the Technocopia maker space in Worcester on Tuesday. The nonprofit opened in 2013 and its members have churned out everything from robots to custom prosthetics in a shared environment that provides access to expensive machines for the cost of a little more than a gym membership.

Technocopia, at 95 Prescott St., is a work space shared by roughly 30 members, all of whom create their own projects. Whether they’re artists looking to craft new sculptures using 3-D printers, or engineers creating product prototypes, each of them pays $75 a month to use a myriad of machines that would be cost prohibitive for any one member to purchase outright.

That allows entrepreneurs in Worcester to take their ideas from concept, through prototype and into production, said Kevin Harrington of Technocopia, who led the tour. By providing this clear path, the space is encouraging the next wave of manufacturing to expand in Worcester, he said.

“Our real goal is to make manufacturing in Worcester the center of the next manufacturing revolution,” he said of the space that includes such advanced technology as 3-D printers, a CNC mill and a laser cutter.

The location takes advantage of the city’s educational resources in the city, offering an outlet to recent graduates from Worcester Polytechnic Institute who can take business ideas and make them reality, all while remaining in Worcester, Harrington said. But the location goes beyond simply providing access to expensive machines, he said, creating a community of like-minded individuals who can play off of each other’s experience and expertise.

In the same building, the RunningStart co-working space provides an opportunity for collaboration among startup companies and established professionals. Geared toward those who need a work environment, the space can provide a space to work, and a feeling of community, said Oz Ramos, who recently launched his news reader at www.stemlet.com while working out of RunningStart.

“You are surrounded by people who have the same focus and drive,” Ramos said.

Both of these organizations are feeders for future businesses in the area, said McGovern, and should be supported.

“I want us to be the world center for a new wave of manufacturing,” the Worcester Democrat said. “A lot of the industry of the past is not coming back, so what are we going to be making five years from now, 10 years, or 20 years from now?”