Company Profile
Founded in 2000 by Andrew Coutu, R&D Technologies began as a SolidWorks value-added reseller and has since grown into a leading additive manufacturing company in New England.
Based in North Kingstown, RI, the company provides high-performance 3D printing and rapid prototyping services across a wide range of industries. In addition to producing parts, R&D supports other manufacturers through digital readiness assessments and by offering 3D printers and supplies.
Situation
As the aerospace and defense industries placed increasing emphasis on quality control and regulatory compliance, R&D Technologies faced two significant business risks. The first was the potential loss of key contracts tied to ISO 9001:2015 certification. The second was the challenge of generating high-quality leads to support future growth in a highly competitive market.
Left unaddressed, these issues could have hindered the company’s stability and long-term expansion plans.
 IMPACTS
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New sales of $50,000 | |
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$450,000 in retained sales | |
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1 new job; 10 skilled employee positions retained |
Polaris MEP is knowledgeable, responsive, and genuinely invested in the success of Rhode Island manufacturers. This partnership has been a key asset in our continued growth and resilience, and we look forward to many more years of collaboration.
Justin Couto
President, R&D Technologies
Solution
To mitigate the certification risk, Polaris MEP conducted a full internal audit of R&D’s quality management system, including document reviews and a gap analysis. This ensured the company maintained ISO 9001:2015 compliance—essential for meeting aerospace and defense client requirements for traceability and quality assurance.
To support business development, Polaris MEP also leveraged its partner network to connect R&D with a lead generation specialist. This vendor executed a targeted email campaign, focusing on segmented aerospace and defense audiences to help drive qualified interest and generate new business opportunities.
Results
With Polaris MEP’s support, R&D Technologies successfully maintained its ISO 9001:2015 certification—preserving key customer relationships and securing existing contracts. At the same time, the targeted outreach campaign enabled the company to access new markets and build a stronger sales pipeline. The combined approach reinforced both operational excellence and revenue growth.
These efforts directly contributed to workforce stability and expansion, enabling R&D to retain 10 jobs, add one new position, and report $50,000 in new sales and $450,000 in retained sales.
As a direct result of these two forward-looking projects, R&D Technologies was able to grow its team and protect existing positions—ensuring job stability for its workforce while laying the foundation for continued expansion.
Couto noted that this was just one of several collaborations with the Rhode Island Manufacturing Extension Partnership Center.
“At R&D Technologies, we’ve had the pleasure of working with Polaris MEP for several years, and we’re extremely pleased with the partnership we’ve built. Their team consistently provides valuable support, resources, and expert guidance that have strengthened our operations and enhanced our capabilities,” wrote Couto. “Polaris MEP is knowledgeable, responsive, and genuinely invested in the success of Rhode Island manufacturers. This partnership has been a key asset in our continued growth and resilience, and we look forward to many more years of collaboration.”