Program connects old, new to boost manufacturing jobs

Program connects old, new to boost manufacturing jobs

LANE TURNER/ GLOBE STAFF

Lightspeed, in Haverhill, helped the startup Tank Utility produce its smart meter.

By Jon Christian   G L O B E C O R R E S P O N D E N T   J A N U A R Y 1 2 , 2 0 1 6

A year after he founded his Somerville startup, Nick Mashburn had a product, a smart meter that notifies fuel delivery companies when tanks need to be refilled. He also had a customer, a Canadian fuel company that wanted 1,200 meters.

What he didn’t have was someone to manufacture them.

Enter the Manufacturing Initiative, a program that connects hardware startups with manufacturers. After helping to tweak the design of his prototype, the initiative put Mashburn in touch with Lightspeed Manufacturing, a Haverhill contract manufacturer that so far has produced and shipped 500 of the smart meters for Mashburn’s company, Tank Utility.

“It was really nice to be able to find folks that could guide us through that process,” Mashburn said of Lightspeed, “and who had the expectation that we would be manufacturing much, much more.”

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Ball serves as eyes of police

BUSINESS PLAN

Ball serves as eyes of police

MA RK LORE N Z FOR THE B OS TON GLOB E

Rich Breault with the Explorer, a round, throwable camera developed by Bounce Imaging and built at Lightspeed Manufacturing in Haverhill.

By Wendy Killeen    G L O B E C O R R E S P O N D E N T   A U G U S T 2 0 , 2 0 1 5

Imagine you are a police officer or other first responder going into a dark building, an unlit stairwell, a tunnel or an attic. Dangerous, even for the most experienced.

But what if you could get a look inside those spaces before you enter?

It’s possible with the Explorer, a round, throwable camera developed by  B ounce

 I m aging  and built at  L ight sp ee d  Manu fact ur ing  in Haverhill.

Bounce Imaging was a gold winner in the 2012  Mas sC halle nge  startup competition and accelerator program.

That’s when Rich Breault, a founding partner of MassChallenge and president of Lightspeed, became enthused with the tactical camera. His company created a prototype and worked on the product’s development for three years. It is now sending a pilot run of the first 100 Explorers to police departments around the country.

We talked with Breault, 52, of Haverhill.

Q. How does the camera work?

A.As it rolls, it takes images from six cameras and stitches them together and transmits the data back to the responder’s mobile device. With a finger, the responder can move it around and see a 360­degree panoramic view of the space.

Q. Size and materials?

A. Like a softball. The electronics in the center are covered by a hard plastic shell and a rubber overmold.

Q. The key?

A. The software inside. It’s something not easily duplicated and will potentially save lives.

Q. Other advantages?

A. It’s reusable. In a school shooting, for example, it could be thrown in a classroom, and if clear, be retrieved and then thrown in another room.

Q. Cost?

A. Base model, $1,500; and up to $2,500 with advanced features.

Q. Future?

A. We are going into full­scale production in the fall. The main focus now is first responders, but there are possible applications for the military and, down the road, low­ cost [civilian] panoramic cameras.

Wendy Killeen can be reached at  wdkilleen@gmail.com.

Rich Breault Lightspeed MFG cuts chain for MassChallenge March 10th 2015

MADE@ MassChallenge aims to aggregate prototyping and manufacturing resources for early-stage entrepreneurs

On March 10th, MassChallenge Boston unveiled MADE@ MassChallenge, a 5,000 sq. ft hardware lab and maker space that will enable hardware startups to prototype in-house as part of the four-month accelerator program. MassChallenge startups and alumni will gain access to essential tools and equipment as well as mentorship and guidance from industry experts.

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CIRCUITS ASSEMBLY Names Lightspeed Manufacturing 2013 EMS Company of the Year

CIRCUITS ASSEMBLY today announced Lightspeed Manufacturing as its EMS Company of the Year for 2013. The distinction is bestowed annually on EMS companies that have demonstrated profitability and sustained excellence among their peers.

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MassChallenge partners with Lightspeed, adds Microsoft/City of Boston civic prize

Although MassChallenge‘s transition from Fan Pier to Drydock Avenue is expected to be completed later this spring/early this summer, the world’s largest startup accelerator program is already making some big moves.

Tech start-ups welcome in Haverhill

About 60 years ago, the world’s first commercial product that included a transistor was built by Western Electric in downtown Haverhill. Today, Bounce Imaging, which Popular Science cited as having one of the best inventions of 2013, is relying on a company in the city’s Ward Hill neighborhood to create a high-tech orb that signals danger before first responders make their move. Brenda J. Buote Boston Globe
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LightspeedPROTO Launched, Dedicated to PCBA Prototype Services

Haverhill, Massachusetts, USA – Lightspeed Manufacturing , a leading Electronics Manufacturing Services (EMS) provider, announces the launch of LightspeedPROTO, a new division of Lightspeed Manufacturing devoted solely to providing prototype electronic assemblies and related services such as engineering and Design for Manufacturing (DFM) assistance.