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Players

The biggest players in 3D printing

What about 3DSystems, Stratasys, Prodways, HP, Xerox, etc.?

The key players in 3D printing are already giants. In fact, two worlds are vying for control over this technology. This opposition is reminiscent of the software wars, 2D printing, or even the music industry over the past few decades. Let's draw a parallel with software: in the 80s, Microsoft aimed to monopolize the market with its proprietary Windows software. Regardless of your computer's brand, you had to pay for the Windows package to be able to edit your text in Word or manage your accounting in an Excel spreadsheet. This strategy worked for years despite repeated assaults from open-source software advocates who sought to free the computerized populace from Bill Gates' grip. To counter these attacks, the Empire reacted like any empire, by implementing an all-out acquisition strategy to subjugate rivals, further expand its monopoly, and control minds by imposing its dominance.

In the 3D printing sector, this opposition is real: on one side, the Makers (see dedicated chapter) who dream of re-appropriating manufacturing technologies and opening 3D file rights to everyone by creating 3D printing 'Napsters' (referencing the Napster website, creator and supporter of MP3 music file sharing technologies, a phenomenon that devastated the music industry in the 2000s). On the other side are the proprietary logic players, stemming from the industrial world, whose objective is to make a manufacturing technology profitable that is now reaching its maturity. These industrial players have now entered an acquisition cycle to further strengthen their positions in a market estimated at 20 billion dollars worldwide in 2020.

Brief analysis of the main players below:

The world's number 1 in 3D printing is the company 3DSystems which we have already discussed, notably because its founder is also the patent holder for stereolithography, the 1st 3D printing technique, in 1984, a few weeks after the French filing (see chapter "History"). The advantage therefore goes to the first mover. 3DSystems manufactures the market's most renowned industrial printers, particularly in the laser sintering sector.

 The world's number 2 is Stratasys. It is also American. Founded in 1989 by Steve Crump, Stratasys is the leader in FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling) industrial 3D printing solutions with its Objet range. The company is also known for having acquired Makerbot Industries in 2013, the world's number 1 in consumer 3D printers. Stratasys is currently working on its establishment in the automotive sector, promising the production of custom cars in 2016.

The world's number 3 is a French company, Prodways, a subsidiary of the Gorgé group, historically specialized in intelligent safety systems, nuclear environment protection, and industrial projects and services. Prodways' growth is exponential, driven by an external growth strategy developed over the past 3 years. The company grew from 0 to 200 employees by acquiring several specialized companies such as Phidias Technologies (stereolithography printer manufacturer), Initial (service bureau), Norge (sintering printer manufacturer), Exceltec (development and distribution of sintering materials, also a shareholder of Fabulous). Prodways has also implemented a strategy of technological partnerships to develop and distribute its own large-scale printers, such as with the Chinese company Farsoon for the manufacturing of Prodways powered by Farsoon sintering printers. Prodways' strategy is to become a global leader in 3D printing by expanding its multi-technology offering and developing new services that may well be the value creators in this disruptive sector tomorrow. It is a long-term strategy, but one that already positions it as the 3rd global player in the sector.

Other major players are strongly positioning themselves in the global 3D printing market. This is the case, for example, with Google, which invested nearly 500 million dollars in the summer of 2015 in a new technology called CLIP, promising to increase printing speed tenfold. On a smaller scale, Michelin invested 6 million euros in a metal 3D printing sector in Auvergne, in partnership with the company Fives, to develop a turnkey production unit offering.

Finally, traditional 2D printing players like Hewlett-Packard (HP), Canon, and Olivetti in Italy, are significantly behind in the sector today. Outpaced by 3D printing pure-players, or having not believed in the industrial reality of the market, their delay is now measured in years. However, they are reacting by announcing their entry into the sector in 2016 with industrial printers that will visibly bring technological renewal, further accelerating the market. It should be noted that a traditional player like Xerox does not see its future in 3D printing.

Finally, you can discover the 20 key players in 3D printing via this link, according to the excellent magazine Industrie & Technologies. Fabulous is, of course, one of them.

Further reading: