eBots Inc., a provider of software for lean manufacturing operations has netted $4 million in Series A financing led by venture firms Labrador Ventures and Draper Richards, who jointly led the financing with additional investments from Draper Associates and WI Harper Group.

Founded by Narayan Laksham in 1999, the San Jose, CA based company that makes ‘electronic Kanban’ software, will use the money to support growing customer base with new products and services. “eBots has experienced tremendous growth during the last eighteen months driven by the rapid adoption of lean manufacturing techniques and the success experienced by eBots customers,” says Laksham qualifying VC interest in eBots.

With ever expanding global competition and constant pressure to reduce lead times, companies worldwide are rapidly adopting lean manufacturing techniques. Lean manufacturing helps companies streamline processes, reduce lead times, and lower inventory levels. As large multi-billion dollar manufacturing companies migrate to lean manufacturing, there is huge need for application systems. eBots which provides applications for Lean Manufacturing with an installed base of 75 plants across seven countries, Laksham says.

“We see demand from different manufacturing sectors – industrial, automotive and contract manufacturing. As companies continue to outsource their production, the distributed supply chain becomes more complex. eBots provides solutions that cannot only manage these distributed supply chains but also integrate with customers to facilitate the leaning of the value chain,” Laksham adds.

He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering and a Master’s degree in Marketing Management.