Since 2014, 3DGence develops and commercializes 3D printing technologies that serve the needs of several markets. In five years of existence, the company manages to open facilities both in Europe and in USA. However, the company’s strategy to foster the adoption of 3D Printing & additive manufacturing goes beyond the simple act of commercialization.
We sat down with Karol Kula, Global Sales Director of the company, at Formnext 2019, to understand the key behind the company’s growth in the additive manufacturing industry.
Karol Kula brings more than 15 years of managerial experience in sales, market development, strategy creation and introduction of Polish products and companies into new (international) markets. The Sales specialist has been working for the Polish 3D Pinter manufacturer for one year and a half and with the help of the team, they have been able to implement a strategy that is profitable to each market or region.
According to Kula, four key aspects constitute 3DGence’s strategy to foster the adoption of additive manufacturing/3D Printing:
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- A dedicated sales team per technology. 3DGence is a manufacturer that can meet the needs of both the professional & industrial 3D printing markets. In this sense, it should be noted that selling an industrial 3D printer takes more time and requires several parameters that can interfere in the decision-making process. For this reason, the company’s team comprises a team trained for the industrial 3D printing market and another team trained to meet the needs of the professional 3D printing market.
- A dedicated support per region. We like to use the term “glocalization” to refer to a 3D printing/AM market which is both global and local. Whoever wants to develop a product/service in the AM industry should have noted it. Speaking of their strategy per region, Karol Kula said: “we think global but we implement a local strategy”. The International Sales specialist explains that 6 regions are important to them: the DACH region (Austria, Germany, and Switzerland), UK, France, Benelux, USA & Russia. Just like most companies, the Polish manufacturer is worried about the Brexit crisis and how it might impact their development into Queen Elisabeth II’s country. This uncertainty therefore drives the manufacturer to focus on other countries like France, where they signed new distribution partnerships with Hava3D, Delta Print, and A3D Project. Next year, the company plans to focus its development in ASIA (mainly in Japan & China) and in South Africa.
“More importantly, having a distributor in a specific region, comes with an array of benefits. We learn a lot from our resellers’ teams across the world, that advise us on the best way to meet our customers’ requirements. For instance, in Russia, following our distributors’ advice, we have translated the software in Russian, to make it easier for users to work with it”, said Kula.
- The required technical expertise. A good product highlights the technical expertise of the team behind it. According to 3DGence’s spokesperson, “a 3D printer manufacturer should also have a specific expertise in materials.” Beyond its in-house material experts, the Polish manufacturer also believes in partnerships with key material producers to drive AM applications. “With the launch of our open materials base, we are giving the customer the possibility to choose among a wide range of materials”, explains Kula. In this “open materials portfolio”, we already count quality materials like the material Kimya PEKK-A, strengthened by Arkema’s PEKK Resin.
- Flexibility in the way they provide 3D printing solutions. The sales specialist tells the story of a customer that approached 3DGence because he was not satisfied with a 3D printer from another manufacturer he recently bought. In order to help this user to get a 3D printer that best meets his needs, 3DGence offered to take back the first 3D printer the customer bought and supplied a 3DGence 3D printer at a discount price, so that the user did not have to spend money twice for a 3D printer. Although this solution is only valid in Poland, it demonstrates that flexibility in the way they provide 3D printing solutions, and confidence in the quality of the 3D printers the manufacturer develops.
Speaking of 3D printers the company develops, it should be noted that Formnext 2019 was also the premiere of the INDUSTRY F420, 3DGence’ new 3D printer. The high-performance FFF 3D printer is designed to meet the Industry 4.0 standards. According to Kula, the main features that enable the industrial 3D printer to distinguish itself from the industrial 3D Printer F340 are:
- The speed. “The F420 is four times faster than our previous 3D printer” said Kula.
- An internal camera that enables to monitor what’s happening inside the 3D printer.
- The different approval access: connectivity, Wi-Fi.
- New compatibility in terms of materials: the 3D printer can process ULTEM, a material developed by SABIC, and soluble materials.
- A build chamber that enables an easy printing process.
To sum up, 3DGence has emerged from the startup stage of development. The company is not only a pride of Poland, it has deserved and earned its seat on the International arena. More importantly, they do not intend to stop here: “Our aim is to launch a new solution ever year. We promised our partners we’ll do it and we will do everything in our power to live up to that promise”, concludes Kula.
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