STUDIO_DE_BRINK
Ultimaker MakerBot deal closes. From left: Jürgen von Hollen and Nadav Goshen
Ultimaker and MakerBot have today announced the completion of their merger, which now sees the two desktop 3D printing leaders operating under a new brand – UltiMaker.
The merger was announced in May with Stratasys and NPM Capital among existing investors backing the business combination, and an additional $62.4 million investment set to ‘fuel innovation and expansion into new markets’. The new private company aims to provide accessible 3D printing hardware, software, and materials, with focus on ‘driving the industry to a future state of responsible and sustainable manufacturing.’
In addition to combining in name, UltiMaker will continue to offer product lines from both companies including the MakerBot METHOD, MakerBot Replicator, MakerBot SKETCH, Ultimaker 2+ Connect, Ultimaker S3, Ultimaker S5 and S5 Pro Bundle 3D printers, alongside MakerBot CloudPrint, Ultimaker Cura slicing software, and Thingiverse model sharing platform. In an announcement, the company states it will work towards consolidating its business and production lines but also plans to ramp up R&D efforts to develop new products for education and professional users with new hardware and software updates ‘on the close horizon’. UltiMaker says it will invest capital to accelerate growth, drive new product development, and expand its presence across the Americas, EMEA, and Asia-Pacific.
Speaking with TCT, Goshen said: "We have the wide portfolio that fits with any application and together with our global reach and skill, we will have the ability to really focus on these segments, and to really develop applications and solutions for each one of them.
"For us, the focus is the full workflow, from the design itself to the actual part."
The key areas, according to Goshen, will continue to be light industrial and education markets, where both companies have already seen their products adopted, counting customers such as L'Oreal and Lockheed Martin alongside many schools and universities.
Goshen continued: "First and foremost, we're focusing on markets and segments, and not on printers - printers are serving these markets and segments. I think that's kind of the maturity of this industry, because the industry in general, specifically on the low end, came about the notion that, here's the new tool, and you guys figure this out, how to use it. We take a different approach, we say we are providing a full end to end application solution."
The company will continue to operate in New York and The Netherlands, where both companies were previously headquartered, and will be led by former MakerBot CEO Nadav Goshen. Former Ultimaker CEO Jürgen von Hollen has decided to leave the business after assisting transition plans for the new company over the coming months.
"As we begin the next chapter together as UltiMaker, we will continue to focus on developing 3D printing innovations to advance the availability of accessible and easy-to-use 3D printing solutions," Goshen said in a press release. “By combining our teams and technical expertise, we can work towards developing and delivering a comprehensive portfolio of products to support professional, educational, and light-industrial applications.”
“With the completion of the merger behind us, we can now focus on integrating the two businesses further and begin creating significant value for customers with leading 3D printing solutions," Jürgen von Hollen added. “During the next few months, I look forward to helping the teams get started and take maximum advantage of the newly afforded opportunities.”
