UltiMaker has announced the appointment of 3D printing veteran Andy Middleton as Senior Vice President–EMEA.
UltiMaker
Middleton has spent over two decades in the additive manufacturing industry at polymer pioneer Stratasys, where he led its European business as President, and most recently XJet, where he has served as Chief Business Officer since 2022.
The desktop 3D printing company says Middleton will ‘play a pivotal role’ in driving its strategic initiatives and strengthening its footprint in the EMEA region as it looks to ‘capitalize on emerging opportunities in the changing 3D printing landscape.’
“I’m excited to join UltiMaker at such an important time,” said Middleton. “The launch of the UltiMaker S8 is a crucial step forward, and I’m looking forward to contributing to the team’s efforts to expand the company’s offerings. With more exciting times ahead, I’m eager to help lead UltiMaker through the next phase of growth and support its mission to deliver impactful 3D printing solutions to customers.”
In a press release, UltiMaker said is it on track for substantial growth in the coming years but acknowledged the challenging environment it faces, adding that it believes Middleton is ‘uniquely positioned’ to help the company take on its ambitious plans.
Middleton is already familiar with UltiMaker's MakerBot arm following his tenure at Stratasys, which saw him support the integration of the MakerBot business, acquired by Stratasys in 2013, into the EMEA region. MakerBot products now sits under UltiMaker as an education-focused brand following a merger between former Ultimaker and MakerBot brands in 2022.
Michiel Alting von Geusau, CEO at UltiMaker described Middleton’s leadership experience as “pivotal” to stengthening the company’s position in the EMEA region. He said: “Andy will play a key role in enhancing customer relationships and ensuring we deliver tailored solutions to ensure success for our customers, partners, and stakeholders.”
The news follows the launch of the new UltiMaker S8 3D printer last week, its fastest machine to date promising maximum print speeds of up to 500mm/s and acceleration up to 50,000mm/s². In a conversation with TCT, UltiMaker said it believes that the S8 is "the best and fastest dual material printer currently out there".
