About

About Factory Investigator

Factory Investigator is an independent publication that investigates manufacturer websites, evaluates the software manufacturers buy, interviews the people who run manufacturing businesses, and helps small-to-mid-market manufacturers grow online. It is written for the owner trying to win more work, the operations lead choosing a system, and everyone in between who is tired of marketing dressed up as research.

The Factory Investigator speaking with a plant operator beside a working production line
Direct experience belongs in the record.

Why It Exists

Three things kept bothering me, and Factory Investigator exists to fix all three.

First, most manufacturer websites don’t generate qualified RFQs. They list capabilities and certifications and then bury the quote request three screens down on mobile. Second, most “best manufacturing software” comparisons online are vendor blogs with the bias built in — written by the company that wins if you pick them. Third, most agencies that sell to manufacturers don’t actually understand manufacturers; they understand SaaS, then point that playbook at a machine shop and wonder why it doesn’t land.

So this is the answer: rigorous research that manufacturers actually need, neutral comparisons of the software they’re being sold, and honest guidance on the part I understand — how manufacturers win work online.

Who I Am

I’m Mahesh Sirvi, and I run Factory Investigator. I’m based in India.

My father owned and operated a small manufacturing plant here. I grew up around it — watching the daily reality of running a manufacturing operation: production, distribution, logistics, supplier relationships, the slow grind of getting and keeping work. That’s not a credential I bought; it’s where I’m from. It means I understand a manufacturer’s world and a manufacturer’s customer in a way most marketers never will.

I’ll be precise about what I am and what I’m not. I am not a manufacturing engineer, and I’m not going to pretend to be a plant operations expert — I won’t tell you how to optimize a CNC cell or run your MRP. What I am is a B2B internet operator who grew up in a manufacturing family and now helps manufacturers fix the part I do understand: how they win work online. In 2026 I built IVRIStech, a B2B marketing publication. Later that year I started Factory Investigator to focus entirely on manufacturers, because that audience is the one I actually know.

The Factory Investigator

You’ll notice a recurring figure across the site — a silhouette in a long coat, examining the evidence. That’s “the Factory Investigator,” the publication’s editorial persona. It’s how the work signs itself. (The byline underneath is still a real person: me.)

The Factory Investigator in a fedora and long coat examining a factory blueprint
The Factory Investigator. A visual reminder of the job: follow the evidence, show the method, and keep the verdict independent.

Why Trust a Publication Run From India

Let me address it directly, because you’re probably wondering. Factory Investigator is operated from India, serving manufacturers primarily in the US, UK, Australia, and the EU. That’s intentional, and I’m not going to hide it behind a vague “global team” line.

Operating from India lets me do this work at a real cost advantage without cutting its quality — the research and the writing are the same standard you’d expect anywhere. And the model isn’t novel: Freshworks, Zoho, Postman, and Doist are India-founded companies serving the world on competence and delivery, not on pretending to be somewhere they’re not. I’d rather earn your trust the same way — on the quality of what’s on this site.

What We Don’t Do

  • We don’t take payment for favorable software reviews. A vendor cannot buy a better score, a higher ranking, or a kinder conclusion. Naming a vendor in an investigation earns us nothing from that vendor.
  • We don’t publish fully AI-generated content. AI helps with research and drafts; a human verifies and edits everything, and I put my name on it. (The full editorial policy spells this out.)
  • We don’t run paid ads to this publication. Traffic is earned through the work, not bought.
  • We don’t publish sponsored content that bypasses our editorial standards. Sponsored work is labeled as sponsored and held to the same accuracy bar as everything else.

Editorial Work and Paid Work

Factory Investigator is one of the publications I run, alongside IVRIStech, a B2B marketing publication. Editorial work and paid implementation are kept distinct: methods and relevant commercial relationships are disclosed, and any paid scope begins under a separate written agreement. No service purchase can buy coverage, ranking, or a favorable conclusion.

Reach Out

— Mahesh Sirvi, Founder & Editor, Factory Investigator Last updated: July 27, 2026