Autodesk Ventures, the investment and business development arm of Autodesk Inc., made an equity investment
in a start-up called CapacityWeb.com, which is developing an
Internet-enabled marketplace for buying and selling manufacturing
capabilities.
Financial specifics were not disclosed, but Autodesk, a design software and
digital content creation tools supplier, will hold a seat on the board of
CapacityWeb.com and own roughly a 9 percent stake in the company.
“CapacityWeb.com is developing a very interesting Internet model to remove
the inefficiencies associated with the manufacturing community like cyclical
market demands or idle machinery, making them a great partner for Autodesk,”
said Dominic Gallello, executive vice president of Autodesk’s Design
Solutions division.
CapacityWeb.com said it is creating a trading platform to insulate members
from the boom and bust cycles that plague manufacturing industries. With the
fixed capacity and fixed costs that custom manufacturers must manage,
CapacityWeb.com members will be able to match orders between manufacturing
businesses to gain efficiencies in time and costs. Members can trade orders
in a focused, prescreened and secure online community.
“We offer a state-of-the art Internet solution for the manufacturing
industry, enabling that community to reap the rewards of the Internet
economy, and feel
” Autodesk, with its large customer base of mechanical designers, is a
strategic investor and great partner for us,” said Arvind Kapur, co-founder
and CEO of CapacityWeb.com.