How Machina Labs mitigated risk and created substantial upside amidst scaling its operations

Conventional manufacturing tools make engineering parts for aerospace and defense slow and expensive. Machina Labs is unlocking manufacturing with AI and robotics, delivering flexible, on-demand production solutions that eliminate traditional tooling constraints. The company’s RoboCraftsman platform integrates advanced robotics and AI-driven process controls to rapidly manufacture complex metal parts and structures for aerospace, defense, automotive, and industrial applications.

Disparate systems compromise data access, workflows and margins

As Machina Labs scaled operations to meet growing demand, they faced mounting challenges in procurement that threatened timelines, margins, and compliance.

To address these risks, Machina’s head of procurement, Robert Reeser, got in touch with Silkline. After seeing Silkline’s capabilities and intuitive UX, Robert and two of his colleagues decided to pilot the software to mitigate risk and create substantial upside.

Challenge 1: Supplier Communications and Order Statuses Lost in Email

Machina Labs’ procurement data and information were scattered across email, PDFs, and manufacturing execution systems, creating blind spots and delaying the delivery of critical parts up to several months. The team couldn’t be certain which suppliers were delayed, which supplier would deliver the material, or which POs they needed to follow up on. Production delays can result in significant financial impact, making procurement visibility critical for success.

Silkline now centralizes Machina’s purchasing data, integrating with their internal systems to ensure real-time visibility of order status from request to receipt. This allows Machina’s purchasing team to prevent delays, track orders, and make fast, informed decisions.

“Silkline makes it so easy for us to come in every day and see what's late. Being able to protect ourselves from a potential loss of $50,000 per day is transformational."
      - Robert Reeser, Machina Labs' Head of Procurement

“Silkline makes it so easy for us to come in every day and see what's late. Being able to protect ourselves from a potential loss of $50,000 per day is transformational."
Robert Reeser
Head of Procurement

Challenge 2: Inefficient Manual Workflows

Machina’s procurement process relied on numerous manual steps, which hampered teams with administrative overhead and slowed progress on high-impact engineering and operational priorities.

Silkline automatically captures all supplier and RFQ information, simplifies requisition workflows, and eliminates manual steps across the purchasing lifecycle, freeing team members to focus on higher-impact work.

“We’ve estimated that Silkline saves us 31 hours per week across engineering workflows. This adds up to more than $80,000 in cost savings per year, just looking at workflow improvements.
      - Robert Reeser

Challenge 3: Missed Cost Savings

With no way to compare multiple quotes from suppliers, Machina Labs was giving up negotiation leverage. The lack of visibility into cost-saving opportunities was creating the likelihood of overpayment for materials.

Silkline enables Machina to easily send RFQs to multiple suppliers, resulting in more optimal pricing and cost savings. These savings are automatically documented in their quote selection, so Machina can measure the impact of opting for specific suppliers and quotes.

Challenge 4: CMMC Compliance Risk

As Machina Labs scaled operations to support defense and aerospace customers, maintaining rigorous supply chain accountability and cybersecurity compliance became increasingly important. Existing processes for tracking documentation made it difficult to ensure seamless alignment with the Department of Defense Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) requirements.

Silkline enhances Machina’s compliance posture by providing full traceability of orders and supplier communications, along with automated documentation to support audit readiness. With built-in SOC 2 compliance and secure US Gov Cloud data storage, Silkline ensures Machina can meet regulatory expectations without adding administrative burden.

Unified Procurement Delivers Measurable Outcomes

Machina Labs’ use of Silkline goes beyond operational gains. The unified procurement platform accelerates production momentum, reduces compliance risks, and generates significant cost savings for the company.

“Silkline has become a core part of Machina’s operations, underpinning our promise to make manufacturing parts as easy as a click of a button from anywhere in the world and for any volume,” said Reeser.

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