Procurement and logistics management company Cofactr acquired the custom manufacturing marketplace, Cogbase, adding 450,000 North American suppliers to Cofactr’s network.
The deal expands Cofactr’s ability to help manufacturers optimize their entire supply chains, from off-the-shelf parts to custom hardware. It also comes at a critical time for US manufacturers, who are racing to onshore their supply chains in response to the Trump administration’s tariffs.
Like a glove: For the past few years, the two companies have been circling one another trying to find a way to partner.
Cofactr, which has helped customers like Amazon Robotics and Stoke find the right off-the-shelf parts for their manufacturing plans, was lacking in its custom hardware procurement expertise. Cogbase aims to use digital automation to shorten the time and effort involved in finding and vetting unique hardware suppliers—like machine shops, metal fabricators, and injection molders.
Together, the two companies say they can help manufacturers find, communicate with, and secure suppliers in aerospace and defense, robotics, or the medical tech industry. With Cogbase’s network, Cofactr says it can now help companies optimize their supply chains across their entire production process.
Tariffic timing: While the deal started before the phrase “reciprocal tariffs” entered the national dialog, the timing couldn’t be better for a company that offers end-to-end supply chain management services with a large US network.
Procurement teams can sometimes take months to manually research new suppliers, according to Doug Platz, Cogbase co-founder and former CEO. Platz is now the head of Cofactr’s supplier network. With a conjoined Cofactr and Cogbase, that same process is shortened to just weeks, and the system works without charging suppliers for their access to buyers.
“[These] tariffs are new, but really, they’re just an acceleration of a trend that’s been more than 10 years in the making, which is away from just-in-time [manufacturing], and recognizing that there is increased instability and risk,” Platz told Payload.
