Engineering a new way of working - New platform EngLancer has the solution

by Startacus Admin

In the great city of Manchester an innovative new online outsourcing platform, has launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise seed funding through equity crowdfunding site Seedrs.  

The aptly named EngLancer allows you to outsource engineering tasks including design, drawing and modelling in a handy and cost effective way. Comparisons are already being drawn between the new service and existing highly successful outsourcing platforms like ELance and freelancer.com.

EngLancer's founder and CEO Gary Robinson says that the ongoing success of these sites "demonstrates the important business benefits that effective outsourcing gives to modern day design companies". A structural engineer himself Gary points out "whether it be for an engineering design, a website or even a translation, having the ability to quickly grow and contract the capacity of your team, so you can respond to a market need, offers great value to our clients."

In starting an engineering consultancy a number of years ago the team then looked at how other industries delivered design projects; frustrated with the lack of provision for engineering they set to work.  "We thought we had come up with something truly unique in using specialists, freelancers and like minded companies to more efficiently compete for larger or more challenging projects. What we found was that the tech industry had been doing it effectively for years."

Engineering Reengineered

The EngLancer platform hopes to replicate the success of the online outsourcing platforms by bringing innovation to the strong, and growing design engineering market. "We are aiming to be a disruptive force within the already large contract engineering market, both within the UK and internationally". "We offer a distinct USP over online jobs boards, the traditional agencies and the existing outsourcing platforms". "Further, we are engineers and draughtsmen, designing a site for other engineers and draughtsmen. Because of this, we understand the complexities and nuances of engineering design. It also means we are passionate about ensuring and facilitating high quality engineering projects, as well as promoting and protecting the industry."

Rather excitingly, the EngLancer team also includes start-up specialist and internet/ mobile expert, Philip Wattis, who is working to develop and launch the latest version of the platform, following a successful Beta trial in the summer and autumn of 2014.

Phil told us "I am really passionate about this venture, it’s a scalable product that we feel meets a real market need. Coming from a web development background, working in this way just makes sense to me. Its engineering reengineered."

The team have found that creating their Seedrs campaign has been a great benefit to the project "the process of pulling your pitch together is really good for the business. It makes you look critically at your product, your market and your offering. By putting yourself in the shoes of an investor (large or small) you need to make sure your business plan is answering as many of their questions as possible."

We are sure you will all join us in wishing the folks at EngLancer the very best of luck for their upcoming crowdfunding campaign! Why not take a look yourself?

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• #engineering
• #design
• #outsourcing
• #crowdsourcing
• #

Published on: 15th January 2015