Machina Labs CEO and co-founder Edward Mehr joined CNBC’s Worldwide Exchange with Morgan Brennan to discuss the company’s recently announced $124 million Series C and what comes next.
The conversation focused on a central theme that has shaped Machina’s strategy since its founding: the United States does not have a design problem; it has a factory problem.
Across defense, aerospace, and advanced mobility, demand for complex metal structures is rising. Programs are well-funded. Designs are sophisticated. But production systems remain constrained by tooling-heavy, fragmented manufacturing models that struggle to adapt once production begins.
As Ed shared on CNBC, reindustrialization will not happen by simply adding more capital or upgrading legacy production lines. It requires building new manufacturing infrastructure designed for speed, adaptability, and production at scale.
From Robotics to Factory Infrastructure
Machina Labs recently closed a $124 million Series C to accelerate the deployment of its first large-scale U.S. Intelligent Factory. This marks a shift from proving advanced robotics technology to scaling production-ready manufacturing infrastructure.
Machina builds and operates software-defined factories that integrate forming, fabrication, welding, and assembly into a single production system. Rather than relying on fixed tooling and distributed supplier networks, Machina’s model enables programs to move from digital design to sustained production within the same factory environment.
The result is not just faster prototyping. It is production-grade output with the flexibility to reconfigure across programs, an increasingly critical requirement for defense and aerospace customers facing dynamic mission needs.
Why It Matters
On the segment, Ed emphasized that speed in defense is no longer just about software innovation. It is about who can build ships, missiles, and airframe structures at scale and sustain them reliably.
Modern industrial competitiveness depends on manufacturing systems that are adaptable, repeatable, and deployable. Machina’s Intelligent Factory model is designed to meet that challenge.
Defense demand today is real and immediate. But the long-term vision extends beyond a single sector. The same factory infrastructure that supports mission-critical aerospace programs can eventually power a broader transformation in how metal products are built.
As Ed put it, robotics and AI are tools. What matters is how they are deployed, inside a factory system built for production.