Since they have launched their additive manufacturing brand KIMYA, we have been closely monitoring ARMOR Group’s activities in the industry. The French company with an ambitious industrial vision made it clear: they wanted a seat on the international stage.
In two years, a lot has happened, and way much more than expected. For material producers like ARMOR, having a seat on the international stage usually means building a solid network with resellers and relying on collaborations with 3D printer manufacturers.
ARMOR has checked these boxes: following collaborations with MakerBot, miniFactory, Ultimaker, RAISE3D, and Create it REAL – to name a few of them, the materials producer has started building a network of resellers worldwide, the recently announced collaboration, being with 3DGBIRE.
Today, the company achieves a milestone in its journey as for the first time, they will be able to produce their filaments locally, in the USA. The production will be handled by its existing subsidiary, ARMOR USA, located in Hebron, KY, just outside of Cincinnati.
The USA subsidiary opened in 1999, with the goal of developing the company’s Thermal Transfer Ribbons activity. In a press release, the company explained that they had an initial space of 11,000 square feet (1022 m2). They have now acquired the entire current building of 81,000 square feet (7525 m2) and most recently this year, they have added another 30,000 square feet (2787 m2), creating 50% more space for new technical laboratories, a customer experience center, a training center and a space for the Kimya offering.
“This is the first time that our transformation process of semi-finished products into 3D filaments, has set foot outside of France. The United States is the world’s largest market for additive manufacturing, and since ARMOR Group already has facilities there, it seems only natural for us to start production there.” Pierre-Antoine Pluvinage, Business Development Director of Kimya – Additive Manufacturing by ARMOR.
Proximity, proximity and proximity
For an AM company, the key to secure an international seat is to ensure a local presence in the targeted region. Aware of this, today, ARMOR can pride itself on having subsidiaries in Brazil, Canada, Mexico and recently in Colombia. This strategy has paid off for France and now it will in the USA.
“Our local presence for more than two decades, has allowed us to provide customer and quality support and services for all of ARMOR Group’s activities. Additionally, this international presence allows us to optimize the existing supply chain” explains Ryan Heitkamp, Vice President of ARMOR’s operations in the United States.
From the very beginning, ARMOR has shown its willingness to invest extra miles to stand out from the crowd, and so far, it perfectly works.
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