Productive Machines Company Profile
Background
Overview
Productive Machines is a UK-based company specializing in autonomous toolpath optimization to enhance quality and productivity in the machining industry. Their solutions integrate seamlessly with existing Computer-Aided Manufacturing (CAM) environments, automating machining setups and simplifying workflows for machine operators, application engineers, and CAM programmers.
Mission and Vision
The company's mission is to maximize machine tool productivity, empowering machinists to achieve optimal results faster and on the first attempt. They aim to reduce material waste, energy consumption, and equipment wear, contributing to more sustainable manufacturing processes.
Industry Significance
Founded in 2021 as a spin-out from the University of Sheffield’s Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC), Productive Machines has quickly gained recognition for its expertise in machining dynamics and cutting-edge solutions to eliminate chatter vibrations. Their commitment to democratizing technology aligns with the AMRC's vision of fostering breakthroughs in manufacturing processes.
Key Strategic Focus
Core Objectives
Productive Machines focuses on delivering AI-driven solutions that optimize machining processes, aiming to reduce lead times, cycle times, maintenance costs, component waste, and carbon emissions for manufacturers.
Areas of Specialization
The company specializes in machining process optimization, particularly in mitigating chatter vibrations and enhancing surface finish quality. Their technology is applicable across various industries, including automotive, aerospace, and medical sectors.
Key Technologies Utilized
Productive Machines employs advanced computational models and digital twin technology to simulate millions of machining parameters, ensuring precise feed and speed optimization. This approach leads to significant efficiency gains and improved part quality.
Primary Markets Targeted
The company's solutions are designed for manufacturers seeking to enhance machining efficiency, precision, and sustainability. Their technology has been deployed in major manufacturers, including Renault and MASA Aerospace.
Financials and Funding
Funding History
Productive Machines has raised a cumulative £3 million in investment to date.
Recent Funding Rounds
In April 2023, the company secured £2.2 million in seed funding. The round was led by the UK Innovation & Science Seed Fund (UKI2S), with participation from NPIF – Mercia Equity Finance, ACT Venture Partners, Fuel Ventures, and grant funding from Innovate UK.
Notable Investors
Key investors include UKI2S, NPIF – Mercia Equity Finance, ACT Venture Partners, Fuel Ventures, and Innovate UK.
Utilization of Capital
The funds are intended to deliver the company's AI technology as a fully automated Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) product and to expand the team from eight to over 20 employees.
Pipeline Development
Key Pipeline Candidates
The company's flagship product, SenseNC, is an advanced optimization plugin that connects CAM systems to supercomputing resources, simulating millions of machining parameters using cutting-edge physics modeling.
Stages of Development
SenseNC has been deployed in major manufacturers, including Renault and MASA Aerospace, demonstrating its effectiveness in real-world applications.
Target Conditions
The technology targets complex five-axis milling processes, aiming to mitigate chatter vibrations, reduce tool wear, and improve surface finish quality.
Anticipated Milestones
The company plans to expand its customer base in the UK and Europe and respond to growing demand from industrial partners in North America.
Technological Platform and Innovation
Proprietary Technologies
Productive Machines has developed a computational model to predict and mitigate the influence of harmful vibrations at every stage in metal and composite milling jobs. This model uses a digital twin to determine the best parameters for each machine tool and production run, eliminating wasteful configuration experiments and ensuring that milling jobs are right the first time.
Significant Scientific Methods
The company employs digital twin technology to simulate millions of machining parameters, ensuring precise feed and speed optimization. This approach leads to significant efficiency gains and improved part quality.
AI-Driven Capabilities
Productive Machines leverages AI to automate the process of testing and refining machining strategies virtually, before cutting begins, saving time, materials, and energy.
Leadership Team
Dr. Erdem Ozturk – Founder & CEO
Dr. Ozturk is an internationally recognized leader in the digital machining field with over 20 years of experience in research and development. He has led research projects at the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre and is an Associate member of CIRP (The International Academy for Production Engineering).
Dr. Huseyin Celikag – CTO & Co-founder
Dr. Celikag holds a PhD in the dynamics of robotic machining from the University of Sheffield. He is responsible for software development and machining process modeling, analysis, and optimization at Productive Machines.
Richard Nevil – Commercial Director
Richard has extensive experience in the aerospace sector, having run Customer Support for Leonardo Helicopters and Safran Nacelles. He currently develops the Sales and Customer Success functions at Productive Machines.
Kate Woods – Financial Director
Kate is a qualified Chartered Accountant with experience in the engineering sector. She has held positions such as Divisional Finance Director for a $350 million division of Tyco and has worked with both established and startup SMEs across various sectors.
Peter Hopton – Chairman
Peter is a serial entrepreneur in the clean-tech space, having founded several companies with a market value now totaling over £100 million. He is the founder of Iceotope and inventor of a server cooling technology for data centers.
Dr. Luke Mason – Chief Software Architect
Dr. Mason has years of experience working with academic and commercial partners to produce innovative digital solutions and products. His fields of interest include high-performance computing, quantum computing, and cloud technologies.
Cristina Sesma – Head of Partnerships & Customer Success
Cristina has over 20 years of experience delivering international marketing strategy and digital communications for high-tech engineering companies in fields such as telecommunications and manufacturing.
Matthew Scherba – Non-Executive Director
Matthew is a London-based entrepreneur and VC specializing in AI, IoT, and deep-tech investments across the UK and EU. With over 25 years of global experience in scaling tech businesses, he supports companies from early-stage development through to commercial expansion and successful exit.
Dr. Mateo Leco – Head of Data Science
Dr. Leco has a PhD in data-driven modeling of robotic machining processes and has experience in machine learning and AI applications for manufacturing. He leads data science projects and expands the overall ML & AI capability at Productive Machines.
Dr. Muhammet Ozsoy – Machining Physics Developer
Dr. Ozsoy specializes in machining physics and is responsible for developing and optimizing machining processes at Productive Machines.
Arvind Anandhanarayanan – Software Developer
Arvind has a strong background in AI/ML, NLP, low-level systems, parallelization, GPUs, and cloud computing. He is responsible for software development and optimization at Productive Machines.
Barış Güzel – Software Developer
Barış specializes in computer science and is responsible for software development and optimization, focusing on CAD/CAM plug-ins at Productive Machines.
Arman Zonüzi – Machining Physics Developer
Arman is responsible for machining process modeling, analysis, and optimization at Productive Machines.
