About Cambian
A lean shop, built to a higher standard.
Cambian pairs the operations discipline of advanced manufacturing with hands-on engineering and modern systems, so customers get a partner that's rigorous, direct, and accountable.
Our story
Founded to be the dependable partner
Cambian started with a simple observation: the U.S. supply chain is fragmented and inconsistent, and when demand rises, quality and lead times are usually the first things to suffer. We set out to fix that at its foundation by building a machine shop that runs with the discipline of a world-class operation from day one.
We're deliberately lean and founder-led. That's a feature, not a limitation: you talk directly to the people who engineer and machine your parts, decisions happen fast, and nobody hides behind "that's how we've always done it." What we may lack in size, we make up for in rigor, responsiveness, and an obsession with doing the work right.
Track record
From idea to Premium partner, fast
2025
Cambian founded as an operations & manufacturing consultancy.
Late 2025
Decision to build a machine shop; CNC and facility secured.
Early 2026
CNC installed and commissioned in Lafayette, IN.
2026
Qualified as a Xometry manufacturing partner, then reached Premium status.
Today
68 unique part designs delivered and counting, with a perfect quality record: 0 returns or claims.
How we operate
What we hold ourselves to
Discipline over heroics
Repeatable, documented process beats last-minute saves. We standardize the work so quality and lead times are reliable, not lucky.
Engineer the outcome
We think upstream about manufacturability, tooling, and fixturing, so problems get solved on the screen before they reach the floor.
Own the result
We don't hand off and hope. We stay accountable to the outcome you actually need, all the way to the finish line.
The team
Who you'll work with
John Scheel
Founder
John founded Cambian in 2025 after more than a decade leading quality, production, and operations in advanced manufacturing. A Purdue-trained chemical engineer, he began his career as a quality and continuous-improvement leader across the steel, aluminum, and automotive industries, building ISO 9001 and AS9100 quality systems from the ground up. He went on to lead rocket-motor production at Anduril, where he stood up a new large-scale manufacturing facility, before returning home to Lafayette to bring that level of rigor to businesses that rarely have access to it.
Jacob Melvin
Design & Machining
Jacob leads part design, CNC programming, and machining at Cambian. A Purdue-trained materials engineer, he spent nearly eight years as a metallurgist at Harrison Steel Castings before moving into machining, giving him a materials-first understanding of how a part should be designed, machined, and finished. He turns customer files into parts engineered to be made right the first time.