We've been really kicking it into gear this year. New projects and products are always brewing. We're constantly trying to ensure that what we do is something we're proud of.
At the beginning of the year we revamped our image and website. A cleaner and sleeker feel seems right, reflecting our status as a solid and reliable company that has operated in the 3D printing industry for quite some time. We've released the new Filabot Airpath and we're releasing the Filabot Dryer along with other new products coming this Fall. We've been talking about new partnerships and we've made a concerted effort to re-examine our recycling efforts and capabilities to reflect our original mission of creating a closed loop recycling system.
And we've had a lot of fun! These past few months have really helped us dial in our order of operations and how we view our own work. A number of these changes came from a generative examination of what we believe in and how those beliefs inform our actions.
We believe in empowering our employees to seek the work-life balance they want and deserve. What has this looked like in real life? More remote work, more personal projects and an overall uptick in what we're doing and what we're excited about. Our Lead Engineer is doing computer work all day? Kev, don't leave your pajamas. You've finished your projects by Thursday Sean? Go take off on that hiking trip. For us, yes it's about making physical machines, but also about making and building lives that are meaningful and well balanced.
We believe in collaboration and holding space for each other, wherever we are. Not long ago our office space lease was up. Though the office was only 200 yards away from our warehouse, we decided not to renew the lease and merge our two spaces into one. This was a smart move. We like this move. We felt that the closer we were, the more shared desk space we had, the better we could collaborate. We were headed down a "typical" business model of hierarchy, operations, and wasted time on pointless meetings. Not anymore. Not only that, but at least one of us works 100% remotely and we have begun to utilize apps and technologies like Slack to become more intentional and effective communicators. Plus we've got a cool couch and orange rug that makes us feel like Silicon Valley tech employees even though we're more laid back, in-the-woods-Vermont type folks. It's a good place to be!
We believe that plastic is a design failure and that closed loop recycling systems are viable, small waste stream solutions in the short term. In the long term, our relationship to "waste" and use of materials need to change in order to become better stewards of the environment. In order to allow others to become better recyclers and intentional makers, we've refocused our efforts on plastics and materials. You will be able to recycle your water bottles and milk jugs into strong, durable prints. Let me repeat: You will be able to recycle your water bottles and milk jugs into strong, durable prints. We're sure of it. We're making it a priority. And we're building relationships with organizations like Parley for the Oceans to put Filabot systems to the test and make an actual impact on plastic pollution.
We believe in access and transparency. One thing we have always wanted to do is allow customers to test our machines before they use them. People ask all the time but we've been unable to deliver. Along with developing the Filabot Recycling Service we've also been developing a Demonstration Center for appointment-only video chats to answer questions and show off what our machines can do. Keep your ears to ground for these coming developments!
We believe in working hard and playing harder. What does that look like? That looks like field trips to our manufacturers, special drink nights at the local bar and company lunches every once and awhile. And hey, what if we all took advantage of the beautiful sunshine this Thursday afternoon and go floating down the river? Take a break and bask in the simplicity of life for a second? Yeah, we do that here at Filabot. It's a pretty great place to work.
We're always changing. To get a tiny bit Zen: all is always changing. Being aware of those changes and being intentional in those changes is what we're aiming for and what we're doing.
We're Filabot. Thanks for reading. We hope you have a great day and keep on making, shaking things up, and changing with the world while you change the world!
Best,
The Filabot Team
