How Make Works works

Make Works allows you to discover 100s of hidden manufacturers and makers. We refer to companies listed on Make Works as ‘factories’. They range from individual craftsmen to large manufacturing companies; working on bespoke commissions to large production runs. The most important thing is that each factory fabricates high quality work for you, or provides facilities for making and manufacturing yourself. 

It is completely free to find a local manufacturer on Make Works. Find out why here. 

Browse and Search

How to find a factory on Make Works. There are two key ways to navigate the platform: Browsing, and Searching. 

Browsing allows you to explore the manufacturing processes, materials and machinery that you need to make things. Using the browse drop down menu, you can explore collections of the different industries, manufacturing processes, materials, and locations listed on Make Works.

You can also browse all of our factories on the A-Z of factories.

Searching is for those that have a particular process to source, or an idea in mind that they are trying to make or get made. 

• You can search for a fabricator using a particular manufacturing process.


• You can search for a particular material. 


• You can search to find specific locations for manufacturing. Or you can take a look at the Make Works map.


• You can also search using terms about the finished product you are trying to make. 

If you still haven't found what you are looking for, then contact Make Works and we can put it on our 'to find' list.  

If you are not sure of what you are looking for, you can use Make Works roulette, which randomly selects processes, locations and manufacturers to work with. 

You can also find further fabricator lists, manufacturing guides and inspiration on the Make Works Blog

Match

Make Works is where you can find the local manufacturing that you've been looking for by building relationships with makers, factories and workshops face to face. 

The Make Works team verify and visit every factory, maker and workshop listed. 

We collect in-depth, practical information including turnaround times, minimum order costs and previous clients. This is so that you can evaluate whether that factory is right for your project before getting in touch.

We are commited to making sure that this information is open, accurate and up to date. 

We produce photography and short films for each factory listing.

Our films were inspired by 1980’s video dating, and the aim is to inspire you to work with skilled and passionate people.

Contact

Using Make Works means that you can get in touch with a manufacturer directly.

We know it can feel a bit intimidating when you first get in touch with a new manufacturer, especially if it is in an industry you haven't worked with before.

On each listing we've included our recommended contact along with a photo so that you can even put a face to a name! 

You can then use the contact information provided to begin a project.

If you havn’t worked with a manufacturer before, you can read our tips for working with local manufacturers.

We love hearing about how people have used Make Works. If you have found a local manufacturer through us, send us your images and tell us about your experience!

The Make Works community

Make Works is about making local manufacturing accessible and inspiring.

 In addition to our digital platform, we run offline events, such as manufacturing meet-ups, film screenings, Pecha Kucha nights, factory tours and Maker-Speed-Dater evenings.

Sign up for our newsletter to hear about the latest listings on Make Works

Common Questions

For common questions about how to use Make Works, check our FAQ’s. 

We are always looking for feedback and gathering ideas about what you would like to see next. Get in touch if you have anything you would like to share.