In the seven years since Mitch Free founded MFG.com, a Web site originally dedicated to linking custom machine parts makers with buyers, the venture has become an increasingly popular resource for manufacturing engineers the world over.

The process is simple. Buyers seeking machine parts enter their requests on the site, and suppliers who can meet the specifications submit proposals. The buyer chooses the proposal that best suits his or her needs, and the deal is done.

The site has become popular and successful—as of May 18, there was nearly $160 million worth of requests posted on the site—and Free recently added a service tailored for distributors.

For a roughly $5,000 annual subscription, distributors gain access to the site's 50,000 buyers seeking standard machine parts. The service, which Free says is available only to distributors, provides a real-time link between distributors and engineers across the globe who need the right part for the right price—right now.

“It's a really hot, timely lead,” Free notes. “If the buyer or engineer says, 'This is what I need,' the distributor can go to work.”

“We've made a policy that we're not selling directly [to OEMs],” he adds. “We're only selling to distributors.”

The strategy seems to be paying off. Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon.com, recently bought a large stake in MFG.com through his personal investment company, Bezos Expeditions, Free says, and MFG.com has opened offices in Shanghai, Geneva, London and Paris.

“It's a bold claim, but we're quickly becoming the platform that the world's manufacturing economy is trading on,” he says.

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