In the first part of this blog series, we talked about the origins of the idea for the i-did Factory and the search for suitable machinery in China. In the second part, we took you through the construction of the factory: from installation to permits and everything needed to actually get started. Of course, that went smoothly. 😉

In this third installment, the moment we've been working towards for so long begins: the Factory is up and running. Or rather, it's trying to run. We'd like to take you through the realities of the first years of production, learning, adjusting, repairing, and above all: persevering.

“Building a factory is one thing. Actually getting it up and running is quite another,” says Michiel Dekkers.

An opening with a golden edge

We enjoyed the opening for so long. The mix of staff, customers, suppliers, family, and friends felt just right. For a moment, everything seemed to come together. As if nothing could go wrong.

Images of a very successful opening of the i-did Factory

But reality soon hit us again. Shortly after the party, we had to deliver our first i-felt order for an interior design project. We'd already stretched the deadline to the limit. We rejected production runs from just before the opening: the quality wasn't good enough and the machines weren't yet properly under control. This meant awkward phone calls to the client, telling them we couldn't deliver.

Rejected batch of Defence Desert felt

It was painful, but necessary. We decided to have all the fibers that had been successful on our opening line processed by our old manufacturer in Germany. We had just cautiously rekindled our relationship with them after a pandemic hiatus. Not the route we had envisioned, but the only right one at the time.

First technical setbacks

Less than a week after the opening, the next problem arose. A large section of the hardware (the sawtooth) on roller 3 of the opening line had been violently blown off. The sawtooth is connected to eight strands around the cylinder, several of which were broken. How do you solve something like that in a running factory?

Repairs to roller 3 and broken hydraulic parts

A period of improvisation followed: cutting, tensioning, securing with metal epoxy, and trying again. After a few days, the line was running again. Only later did it become clear that this problem would continue to haunt us regularly for the next year and a half. Some technical challenges proved more persistent than hoped.

Continue producing

We were ultimately able to complete the interior design project with felt from the German manufacturer and some of our own stock in other colors. This provided some temporary relief, but our financial buffer was now definitively depleted.

The next step immediately presented itself: the first you-felt project of the Technische Unie. This was the moment when it really had to work. However, even here, a delay proved unavoidable, much to the justifiable frustration of Makers Unite, which would manufacture the products. Production planning in a factory still in full development remains a specialized field.

After several adjustments, it finally worked: good felt and a beautiful end result. And after a few months, something remarkable happened. At i-did, everything literally became greener.

"The felt was everywhere: in the factory, on other floors and sometimes even outside. A visible sign that production was starting up. and we still had a lot of work to do in terms of dust prevention..."

Every textile requires something different

This was followed by an intensive period of customer projects during which we discovered again and again how different textiles can be processed within textile recycling and felt production.

Some practical examples:

• With cotton, material would stick and a compact mass would form if the feed was not done properly.

• With mixed materials we had difficulty getting the settings right, which resulted in overly large pieces passing through the line and many needles breaking.

• With 100% polyester, like sportswear, everything became static. Sensors went blind, and the line came to a complete standstill.

• Getting knitwear onto the first opening roller proved difficult because the feed bed filled with stretched fabric. This often meant opening the machine, cleaning it, and starting over.
  

Each new raw material required testing, adapting and relearning.

Complexity behind closed doors

As production increased, we also discovered something else: more and more waste and residual material was accumulating behind the closed doors of the machines. Another major overhaul followed to make the lines manageable again.

Waste, dust and residual material during felt making in the factory

At the same time, technical malfunctions remained a daily occurrence. Think of a control PLC that shuts down the entire line, a faulty hydraulic valve on the baler, or sensors that stopped working. Often with the same result: an entire production line temporarily shut down.

Smoke, stains and other points of concern

Not everything was in order yet. During the felting process, the factory was regularly filled with smoke; the calender's exhaust system clearly needed improvement. This became a major improvement point.

Blending fibers also proved more difficult than anticipated. Insufficient blending resulted in visible stains in the felt, which is obviously unacceptable for finished products. Furthermore, the infeed of the opening line remained prone to jamming, requiring frequent manual intervention.

Building processes next to machines

While the machines were running, the processes also needed to be shaped. Where do we put waste and how do we dispose of it? Who handles purchasing, and when? What maintenance is needed and by whom? How do we combine tours with production? And how do we find a balance between running, testing, and improving?

On top of that, there were attractive but intensive subsidy programs like KVW and KIA_CE (Trashure). They offered financial leeway, but also demanded a lot of time and attention from the Factory team. These monthly financial injections were now essential to maintain production.

Tests in the factory for the Trashure subsidy scheme

Prices, volumes and people

Another challenge was pricing. Insight into cost prices was still largely lacking, simply because volumes were too low and there were too many variables. Decisions were forced to be made intuitively.

We also had to tighten our terms and conditions for customers. For example, we received more than 3,000 kilos of textiles on several occasions, even though we had requested 1,000 kilos. This had a direct impact on planning, storage, and capacity.

Perhaps the biggest challenge was the team. Vacancies proved difficult to fill, and new hires sometimes left just as quickly. Staffing was too tight to run both lines simultaneously, let alone every day of the week.

Meanwhile, Silvester developed significantly and became increasingly adept at his work. At the same time, the need for more structure, established procedures, and clarity arose. The team was looking for guidance, and roles needed to be defined.

Letting go and building on

By the end of 2023, Michiel had been involved with the Factory almost full-time. For too long, in fact. His patience was wearing thin; he was trying to do too much too quickly, while other parts of the company also demanded attention. Years of focus on getting the factory up and running were visibly starting to have an impact on the rest of the organization.

In early 2024, a turning point occurred. The Factory team took over independently, without Michiel. With targeted improvements such as improved extraction, slides, better blended fibers, quality control, maintenance schedules, and software for machine settings (recipes), we were able to produce high-quality felt from virtually all types of textiles.

Where we stand in spring '24

Two years after launching, we're financially vulnerable. The move from Utrecht is behind us, simply because the municipality wasn't providing us with candidates. The chaos within the company increased.

But one thing is now firmly established: the i-did Factory is up and running. We produce high-quality felt from virtually all types of textiles, marking an important step in the circular textile supply chain.

We originally thought we could tell this story in three parts, but we know better now. So much is happening! We're learning every day, and the Factory continues to evolve. That's why we've decided to continue this blog series. In the next installment, we'll pick up where we are now: building stability, scaling, and finding customers who generate consistent revenue.

To be continued – in part 4.