AnyFactory is a cloud manufacturing platform that allows anyone to create anything they want through the cloud. The platform was launched in May 2020 and is a new product for AnyMind Group. In this article, I would like to explain about the product, AnyFactory, and introduce the technology stack that we are using.
■ About AnyFactory
AnyFactory allows individuals and businesses who want to create their own brand and products, to input designs and ideas for products they want to produce on AnyFactory. Based on that information, AnyFactory matches users and products with the most suitable factories from a database of over 200 manufacturers on the platform.
Before the launch of AnyFactory, we already started D2C business, and team had been using Google Spreadsheets and emails to manage manufacturers and client requests. In the initial release of AnyFactory, we started with a database of factories and the ability for clients to send us information about their product ideas through the platform.
The factory database shows not just the location and contact information of factories, but also images of the products that users can produce through a factory.
On the product request page, all the things that were previously communicated through email, such as status management, product images and additional information, are now itemized and incorporated into the platform.
The recently released Custom Design feature makes it easier for users to ideate the products they want to create. Before launching this feature, clients had to explain the design of the new brand or find and attach similar products and images, and describe what they want through text. With this feature, users can easily design on top of AnyFactory’s catalog of over 150 products, upload their logo and text into the platform, and customize the design to their liking, making it easier for clients to design and order their products in less time.
AnyMind Group also has an e-commerce solution called AnyShop. By connecting with Shopify, AnyShop enables clients to easily build their own e-commerce portals and understand the audience they are getting using tools like AnyManager. With AnyFactory available as a Shopify app, users can create and ideate their products through this integration.
■ About AnyFactory’s technology stack
We implemented the following infrastructure configuration and technology stack, somewhat based on the infrastructure and stack of AnyTag, our influencer marketing platform.
Specifically, the backend infrastructure is implemented using Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE), and we use Domain Driven Design (DDD) to implement logics. We use Python, but we may be able to change our language or framework easily because of isolation. In addition, type checking by mypy and code format are also enforced by CI/CD pipeline, so there is not much difference in implementation. The frontend uses Google App Engine (GAE) hosting, and implementation is done using React according to Atomic Design, and since GraphQL is used for backend API linkage, this also has the same infrastructure as AnyTag.
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AnyMind Group is developing various products including AnyFactory, and we are hiring more engineers and product managers. If you are interested in joining us, please select “product development” from the link below and see available positions.
https://anymindgroup.com/career/
We also have a blog written by engineers in AnyMind Group. If you’d like to read it, please click the links below:
- – English: https://medium.com/anymind-group/tech-blog/home
- – Japanese: https://qiita.com/organizations/anymindgroup
