UCF-based Limbitless Solutions has been named a finalist for a Florida Sterling Manufacturing Business Excellence Award.
The award recognizes the state’s best manufacturers based on a rigorous assessment process led by industry experts. A panel rated more than 160 nominees in the areas of leadership, strategy, customer service, measurements, analysis and knowledge management, workforce, and operations. The 23 finalists are considered models for the state. Limbitless Solutions was one of only two Orlando-based companies named finalists.
“Manufacturing is a critical sector here in Florida, and our manufacturers set the bar for the rest of the nation,” says John Pieno, founder and Chairman Emeritus of the Sterling Council. “We are pleased to honor these twenty-three outstanding Florida organizations who are role models in their industries and are deserving of this prestigious award.”
Limbitless Solutions creates bionic arms and training systems for children and soon adults. It was established in 2014 by a group of then-students at UCF who wanted to help one local boy who needed a prosthetic arm. Since then, the company founders have graduated and work full-time at the company. It has grown to fill a 6,000-square-foot-facility in the Central Florida Research Park, launched multiple clinical trials and in 2021 generated more than $1 million. The company has also been flexible and responsive to community needs. When the COVID pandemic hit in 2020, Limbitless Solutions temporarily re-tooled its manufacturing center to support the production of personal protective equipment for frontline healthcare providers. Limbitless Solutions has been developing a unique approach to the manufacturing of prosthetics, leveraging advanced manufacturing techniques, including vacuum thermoforming, 3D printing, and traditional metal cutting.
“These companies are fantastic examples of manufacturing excellence in Florida, contributing to Florida’s continued advancement through the rankings of the top states in the U.S. for manufacturing productivity,” says Kevin Carr, CEO of FloridaMakes, which co-sponsors the awards.
The Limbitless Solutions team is looking forward to the working with the award sponsors.
“The Sterling Manufacturing Business Excellence award represents an incredible opportunity for external review of our program’s growth and an honor to be included in the group of industry leaders,” says Albert Manero ’12 ‘14MS ’16PhD, co-founder and executive director of Limbitless Solutions. “The feedback on how we can continue to improve our process and accelerate our impact will push the program to new heights.”
The Sterling Council and FloridaMakes will work with each of the finalists to provide an in-depth manufacturing process audit and arrange for networking and knowledge-sharing opportunities, such as tours, webinars, and leadership events aimed to benefit Florida’s entire manufacturing sector.
The grand prize winners will be announced at the 30th Annual Governor’s Sterling Awards Banquet on June 3 at the Gaylord Palms resort in Orlando.
“We are proud to be considered for the prestigious award and owe much of our development to our manufacturing mentors, including Tim Lindner [of the UCF Manufacturing Lab]”, says Dominique Courbin ’18, co-founder and director of Manufacturing. “Our team is striving for continuous improvement and growth so we can better support our bionic families.”
This is the second recognition for Limbitless Solutions in the past 30 days. On April 28 the Orlando Business Journal recognized the organization as one of the most innovative and successful companies in Central Florida by awarding it an Inno Fire Award and a 2022 Blazer award.