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The DNAinfo archives brought to you by WNYC.
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3-D Printer Company MakerBot to Outsource Jobs to China from Brooklyn

 MakerBot is outsourcing its manufacturing jobs to China.
MakerBot is outsourcing its manufacturing jobs to China.
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MakerBot

SUNSET PARK — MakerBot will no longer be making 3-D printers in Brooklyn.

The company said Monday it will outsource its work to Florida-based contract manufacturer Jabel, which has factories across the world.

MakerBot's 3-D printers and other products will be made at a production facility in China, spokesman Johan-Till Broer told DNAinfo New York on Tuesday afternoon.

Just last summer, MakerBot opened its massive new factory space at Industry City in Sunset Park after working out of a much smaller facility since 2011.

The expansion into "one of the most advanced factories in New York City," CEO Jonathan Jaglom said at the time, was set to double its production capacity.

But earlier this year it came to light that MakerBot, a subsidiary of Stratasys Ltd., shrunk its production space in Industry City from 225,000 square feet to 135,000, according to Crain's.  

The company plans to further significantly reduce the space, which will be maintained for logistical and repair teams, Till-Broer said.

Jaglom said in a statement Monday that "we will have to part with some of our talented and hard working colleagues at our factory." Jaglom described the lay offs as a "specific, painful decision," according to The Verge.

While the company did not disclose how many employees had been cut, it would be "a significant number of factory workers," the spokesman said. 

MakerBot's headquarters in Downtown Brooklyn will not be affected by the layoffs. 

"It's really about moving manufacturing," Till-Broer said.

The transition of manufacturing jobs to Jabil will take place over the next few months, and will be completed before the end of the year.

Jaglom, who has been CEO since April 2015, said the company was partnering with Jabil to "increase production flexibility."

"Working with Jabil will position us to better manage the rapid change in our industry and reduce our manufacturing costs to compete more effectively in a global marketplace,' he said in a statement. 

"We expect that adopting a flexible manufacturing model will allow us to quickly scale production up or down based on market demands, without the fixed costs associated with maintaining a factory in New York City."

Jabel did not immediately respond to request for comment.