Light industrial manufacturing and warehousing space can be a significant investment, especially if you’re an entrepreneur or startup that needs to minimize expenses during the early days of your business endeavors.
Coworking spaces give small businesses and startups access to clean, efficient and modern offices for much less than they would spend recreating the setting on their own. MAC6’s collaborative manufacturing works under the same principal, just for businesses that require light industrial and warehousing space in addition to office space.
Co-manufacturing is still a relatively new subset of the coworking market. When most people hear “co-manufacturing” they may think of food manufacturing or a packing plant that can switch between making and packing similar snack foods on a contract basis. The motivation behind that type of co-manufacturing and our kind of co-manufacturing is the same – businesses save money by avoiding a huge investment in their own facilities.
Not every warehouse environment is going to be conducive to your manufacturing, research and development or prototyping needs. MAC6 has experience meeting the requirements of a variety of light industrial businesses, and we believe our facilities will work for a diverse array of companies that need small to medium-scale manufacturing space.
Things to Look for in a Manufacturing Space
Good Lighting
One thing you may notice while shopping around for manufacturing or warehousing space is the emphasis on adequate lighting. Having a well-lit workspace is always important, but it often warrants a bigger focus in industrial settings where interior spaces tend to be a lot bigger and intricate, detail-oriented work is often necessary.
Inadequate lighting has been shown to result in:
- Fatigue and poor concentration
- Headaches
- Eye strain
- Potential mistakes
- Workplace accidents and injuries
A well-lit workplace is a safe workplace and can be one of the many factors that will influence worker productivity and health.
Customer and Supply Chain Proximity
Transportation and shipping costs can be exorbitantly high for some manufacturers, especially in a business’s early days when you may not benefit from discounts and reduced rates that become available at higher volumes of production.
There are also concerns about damage during transit or mishandling along the way, both for incoming raw materials and outgoing finished products. Having a facility near your end user or reseller reduces shipping costs, the risk of damage and allows you to offer faster turnaround on your products.
Economic Conditions and Tax Issues
States and municipalities aggressively compete to bring manufacturers into their local communities and economies. Some offer tax or economic incentives that are especially advantageous for certain types of businesses and manufacturers. How important these conditions are to your company will likely depend on what you’re using the manufacturing space for and the scale of your operations.
Arizona is frequently commended for its business-friendly tax incentives, such as a low corporate income tax rate, no corporate franchise tax, no worldwide unitary tax, no sales tax on manufacturing equipment and no inventory tax.
Operating Costs
Utility costs, lease rates, wages, employee training and benefits are significant expenses for new and old businesses alike. Young startups or small businesses may be especially sensitive to the initial expenditure on facilities and equipment, which often account for the majority of their initial startup costs. That is one of the reasons shared manufacturing space is such an attractive option.
Availability of Carrier and Shipping Services
Having manufacturing facilities near warehousing, shipping centers and state highways and interstates can reduce costs and improve delivery times. An ideal location is one that’s easily accessible to both your material suppliers and your distributors or end users.
Storage Capacity
Your manufacturing space needs to have room for storing raw materials, manufacturing equipment, workspaces and finished products. Some manufacturing and R&D projects may also need specialized storage or warehousing for environmentally sensitive products or equipment. This especially can be a concern for manufacturers in Arizona where the heat is a constant variable for much of the year.
Expansion Space and Sustainability
In an ideal scenario you can find a flexible space that allows your manufacturing footprint, and the price you pay for the space, to adjust as your business needs change. The nature of co-manufacturing space and MAC6’s commitment to fostering the growth of our community makes us an ideal partner in this regard.
Why MAC6’s Co-Manufacturing Is a Great Option for Your Phoenix or Tempe Business
- Located just off AZ State Route 143 and the I-10
- The lighting inside is great
- There’s more than 40,000 sq. ft. of light manufacturing space available in increments of 1,000 to 5,000 sq. ft.
- The space is air conditioned and climate controlled to protect your property and keep your employees comfortable
- We are proud to boast a unique shared clean room
- Utilities like compressed air, natural gas and power are included
- The facility has a truck bay and loading docks
- Meeting rooms and shared offices are available
- Space starting at just $1.50 per sq. ft. a month
We started MAC6 to encourage the growth of Arizona’s economy and empower local entrepreneurs to pursue their passions, develop great ideas and grow their businesses. Our unique co-manufacturing space helps us accomplish that goal.
We hope you’ll schedule a tour by calling (602) 837-2664 or filling out our form to book a time to see the space in person.