Worcester Business Journal

10 Worcester Business Journal | March 9, 2026 | wbjournal.com BY MICA KANNER-MASCOLO WBJ Staff Writer E leven years ago, researcher and MIT professor John Hart had a thought: What if a manufacturing company could build its materials in-house, eschewing the expensive and complex supply chain? Turns out, that idea was worth $575 million, and counting. Since launching VulcanForms in 2015, Hart and the Devens-based manufacturer's leaders have raised $575 million through six funding rounds, in- cluding $220 million from two venture capital firms in January. Already with two locations, Vulcan- Forms is constructing a 100,000-square- foot processing facility in Devens while planning for a fourth location. e company has grown to 305 employees worldwide and is set to scale, working with manufacturers across sectors to simplify their supply chains. "ey have perfected advanced manufacturing at scale in a way that so many others have tried and failed," said Joe Voboril, partner and head of research at Flor- ida-based 1789 Capital, one of the main investors in the $220-million raise. Minimizing the supply chain VulcanForms manufactures custom metal parts for companies in the aero- space and defense, medical, automotive, and consumer industries. Instead of sourcing components from other re- gions or overseas, VulcanForms brings the extensive manufacturing supply chain under one roof. e firm collaborates with clients to design parts, manufacturing them with in-house technology before handing the finished part back to their custom- ers. VulcanForms uses its proprietary, industrial-scale 3D printers to turn metal powder into parts, which are then heat-treated in a furnace and smoothed or further shaped by the company's subtractive machinery. ese processes create a wide range of components, from those used in ortho- pedic implants to jet engines. "Inside that factory are all the pro- cesses and expertise, both physical and digital and human, to be able to work with the customer, take their design, generate the manufacturing instructions, and then produce that part," Hart said. is consolidation helps solve one of the most challenging aspects of manu- facturing: the supply chain. Typically, raw materials are made and assembled in separate locations, one step at a time, requiring manufacturers to coordinate and communicate with suppliers across the world. "It's extraordinarily inefficient in terms of money, time, quality," said Hart. In particular, tariffs and the time it takes to ship components pose great logistical and financial challenges, said Pat Baliva, vice president of sales, North America at the manufacturer Saint-Gobain Abrasives in Worcester. For example, many U.S. manufac- turers source aluminum and steel from Canada, Baliva said. With the President Donald Trump Administration fluctuating tariffs to Canadian and other U.S.-trad- ing partners, American metal manufacturers have to navigate the uncertainty of changing price tags. Tariffs come on top of the cost of delivery and time spent waiting for materials to be delivered, he said. "If your lead time is a month on a product, in a week of that month it's strapped to a truck being transferred," said Baliva. "So you have money tied up on the back of a tractor-trailer moving it. It's not great." Minimizing the supply chain by producing materials on site, as Vulca- nForms does, keeps production local, speeds up the manufacturing process, and saves money. PHOTO | COURTESY OF MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY e $575M idea VulcanForms in Devens is building new facilities and scaling nationally to help manufacturers simplify their supply chains John Hart, co-founder of VulcanForms, which says demand for its products is several billion dollars. Joe Voboril, partner at 1789 Capital Pat Boliva, VP of sales for Saint- Gobain Abrasives

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