Baru Inc. is a Cleveland, Ohio, startup that acts as a cabinet-go-between. It has been self-described as the Uber of cabinetry, but in truth, it might be more akin to the FTD flower service that matches the flower recipient with the local floral shop.

It was created as a way to utilize unused capacity in the manufacturing supply chain for cabinetry, furniture, and other case goods. It is a shared-economy model that links custom cabinet buyers to available CNC routers in their regions.

According to company founders Tino Go and Leland Thomasset, there are thousands of manufacturing equipment in the US that sit idle for most of every day. In the meantime, freight and associated packaging and damage are wasting 40% of industry revenues while delaying and complicating projects and leaving a massive carbon footprint.

“Baru leverages tech and ecommerce to build a ‘network platform for underused manufacturing robotics’ for personalized product manufacturing,” said Go. “Baru operates like ‘Uber for production,’ a market-maker in the manufacturing space.”

With the help of patent-pending methods and digital process technology, Baru takes the models that the customer can modify online or [by] using augmented reality into digital production instructions for manufacturing. 

Founded in 2019, Baru’s first product segment is furniture made within a short distance from the delivery location — directly cutting up to $9 billion of waste and CO2 emissions from the supply chain. Baru supports local businesses and helps to create good jobs in our hometowns while giving customers the products they want.

According to Ideastream Public Media, manufacturers in 32 cities across 12 states are interested in joining Baru’s cabinet-making network. The orders come with low overhead – manufacturers won’t have to invest sales, engineering or administrative time to handle Baru’s orders. Manufacturers use CNC routers that the founders say typically run just two to three hours a day. Leveraging this idle capacity is key to his business model, Go says. 

Go said he has $70,000 in cabinet orders in the pipeline. On Baru’s website, cabinet customers will specify dimensions and choose among a range of models, finishes, colors, and add-ons. Customers will see the price adjust as choices are made. Their selections will result in machining instructions for manufacturers and purchase orders for local material suppliers.

The 32 cabinet manufacturers that are part of the Baru network are in proximity to a population of 110 million, according to a Baru presentation to investors. The initial focus will be the Cleveland and Detroit markets. Eventually, Go wants to be in the country’s top 100 metropolitan areas.

“Our whole thing is we manufacture less than an hour away from the customer's location,” Go said. “We've eliminated packaging, we've eliminated timing, and largely eliminated damage risk, and we've kept it local.”