$6.7m boost for vision of autonomous factories from quotes to inspection
5 February 2025 
A Swiss engineering specialist has raised $6.7m to accelerate its concept of autonomous factories that integrate various stages of manufacturing, from initial quotes to 3D printing, machining and inspection, into a single seamless process. Zurich-based Saeki aims to bridge the gap between what engineers can design and what can actually be manufactured.
Saeki’s funding announcement coincides with its launch of a “breakthrough” instant quoting platform that allows customers to upload designs, configure requirements, and receive immediate pricing for precision-engineered parts. By eliminating traditional quoting bottlenecks, Saeki claims it can slash procurement times from days to minutes.
Currently, industries such as aerospace, automotive and construction face long lead times and high costs for large-format components, because they rely heavily on fragmented supply chains and labour-intensive processes. Saeki aims to address these challenges through its innovative approach to digital manufacturing.
Its manufacturing concept combines large-scale additive manufacturing with precision CNC machining in a unified production system. This hybrid approach allows it to deliver large, precision-engineered components in days, rather than weeks, while maintaining quality through automated inspection. Incorporating automated quality assurance ensures that every part meets stringent standards, leading to faster deliveries and improved cost efficiencies for large components.
“There’s an exponential and widening divide between what we can design and what we can actually build,” explains Saeki’s co-founder and CEO, Andrea Perissinotto. “While engineers can now use AI to create hundreds of optimised designs, legacy manufacturing simply can’t deliver these components cost-effectively. By automating the entire process, from quoting to final inspection, we can make these advanced designs manufacturable at scale.
“Our mission at Saeki is to make manufacturing faster, more efficient, and more reliable,” he adds. “By integrating additive manufacturing with CNC machining and quality assurance, we’re giving industries the tools they need to innovate without constraints. This isn’t just about making parts; it’s about reshaping the way industries approach production.
“This is a defining moment for European manufacturing as we set out to build a future with fully autonomous factories,” Perissinotto declares.
Saeki was founded by Perissinotto, Oliver Harley (CTO) and Dr Matthias Leschok (COO), while they were studying at the ETH Zürich university. They identified an opportunity to bring industrial-scale efficiencies to large-format additive manufacturing and to CNC machining, making these processes faster and more cost-effective.
Perissinotto’s journey had begun in his uncle’s workshop, where he saw how traditional production relied heavily on scarce, skilled craftsmen with decades of experience. “We saw an opportunity to integrate advanced manufacturing technologies to overcome these limitations and to scale production efficiently,” he recalls. “The existing processes demand decades of experience and are incredibly hard to scale. With AI and robotics, we’re now able to abstract and automate these skills.”
Saeki’s technology-driven approach not only reduces waste and lead times, but could also help European manufacturers to reshore their production. And, by reducing reliance on overseas suppliers, it aligns with sustainability and supply-chain resilience goals.
One automotive manufacturer reports that using Saeki’s 3D-printed composite tooling, it has managed to shave two weeks off of its production schedules, with deliveries from Saeki taking just one week compared to six weeks from traditional suppliers.
Thomas Meier, a partner at one of Saeki’s new backers, Lightbird, believes that the company’s focus on large-format manufacturing “is particularly timely, as sectors like aerospace and construction face increasing demand for complex, high-performance parts. Global supply chains are under pressure, with rising costs and delays becoming the norm. We believe that Saeki’s ability to deliver high-quality components quickly and reliably sets a new standard for the industry.”
Saeki: LinkedIn
