CaseLabs has returned under new ownership and management and has launched a new website to mark the occasion. It has been just a little over a year since the new owner, Emil Rytterstedt reached out to GN to announce details regarding the comeback and now CaseLabs is in the early stages of its revival. CaseLabs is moving manufacturing from the U.S. to Sweden but continues to work with former employees and enthusiasts abroad to retain “the original spirit, look, and feel of our products.” It has said that it is working on compensation to North American customers to offset shipping costs from Sweden.
CaseLabs manufacturing will move to Sweden, and with that shipping costs will probably increase for our US-based customers. We are discussing some kind of compensation to our North American customers to off-set the high shipping costs, but so far, we haven’t reached a decision yet. Meanwhile, our European customers will most likely notice a drop in shipping costs compared to before.
Current plans
CaseLabs has created a FAQ regarding its current state of being and what its plans are for moving forward. In it, the company explains how tariffs caused its bankruptcy but is now working on manufacturing cases. The company still has no official date for when customers can begin purchasing cases but said that it is going through blueprints and establishing standards for QC but believes that it will begin selling spare parts first. Currently, the main focus for the company is to lay solid groundwork for its branding with the launch of the new website, and then manufacturing, or as it says, “bending metal“, will begin. Spare parts followed by original case models will be offered first and then updates for newer I/O interfaces and GPU orientation will happen. Lastly, the hope is to roll out new designs, and it has even hinted that a small form factor (SFF) could be in the works.
When asked about how it felt with users creating their own parts the company said it fully supports right-to-repair and even encourages users to make their own products. Its only restriction is that users cannot sell their own parts under the CaseLabs name.
“This is a hot topic and something a lot of members of the community are discussing right now. We fully support the right-to-repair movement and we support, and even encourage, members of the community to make their own parts for our products. However, we won’t allow parts being sold under our brand name.”
Plans for the future
As if new ownership and management don’t have enough on their hands with bringing the company back they have stated goals beyond just making cases. Once things are in full motion there is hope to expand with merchandising, accessories, and also PC peripherals.