Formlabs
New Formlabs office
Company, state, and local leaders in Milwaukee attended the opening of Formlabs' new midwest regional headquarters, designed to support the 3D printing company's 'growing role in the U.S. industrial sector.'
Sam Rikker, deputy secretary and COO of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC), joined Department of Administration Secretary Kathy Blumenfeld, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley and Milwaukee Commissioner of City Development Layafette Crump at the grand opening on September 14.
The company's main headquarters are based in Somerville Massachusetts, with a third U.S. facility in North Carolina, and international locations across Europe and Asia. According to Formlabs, Milwaukee was selected for this latest location because of its history with additive manufacturing, and deep pool of engineering and business talent that the state’s educational system has produced.
“Simply put, Formlabs makes hardware to empower anyone to make anything, so we are thrilled to build a team in the original ‘Machine Shop of the World’,” said Luke Winston, Chief Business Officer at Formlabs. “Milwaukee has a deep talent pool of sales and service experts, engineers and other professionals we want on our team, and the region is home to many of our current and future customers.”
WEDC is supporting the project by authorising up to 675,000 USD in performance-based income tax credits if Formlabs meets its job creation commitment within three years. The new 20,000-square-foot facility will house more than 100 employees and includes an open concept floor plan, two showrooms, a print farm, and a display of 3D prints.
“Welcoming Formlabs to Wisconsin today is part of an exciting trend demonstrating a robust pandemic recovery, timely investment in our businesses, and a strong Wisconsin workforce,” said DOA Secretary designee Kathy Blumenfeld. “This is great news for Milwaukee, and great news for our state.”
The County Executive David Crowley talked about how creating jobs in the county is key to the goals of his department. He spoke about how the new HQ will be mutually beneficial, saying: “By leaning into our historical manufacturing tradition, I’m confident our pool of top-tier talent will help Formlabs continue to grow and be successful.”
Formlabs also stated that the Milwaukee 7 (M7) regional economic development organisation worked to attract Formlabs to Wisconsin, believing that the area will support the company’s ambitious plans.
Formlabs recently appointed a new healthcare president, Guillaume Bailliard to support its Healthcare division. Formlabs says it has sold more than 25,000 3D printers into this market, which it believes to be more than any other 3D printing OEM.
