Insights Success Fastest Growing ERP Solution Provider Companies Insights Success innovative 3D Printing Solution | Page 45

Florian Bautz Managing Director rising demand for the RepRap project in Europe, and the decision to design his own RepRap printer was a logical consequence, and German RepRap was thus founded. After three years, he created the first large volume 3D printer, and X400 was born, j ust to print components for the existing smaller printers more efficiently. However, as industrial companies started to reach out to German RepRap for the X400, he realized the absence of the comparable system in the market and a tremendous opportunity in focus on B2B demands. Again, his decision to concentrate on industrial 3D printers from 2014 was logical, market driven, and successful, and led the brand German RepRap to become one of the fastest growing 3D printing companies with a growth rate of 60 % in 2016 and a full range of industrial 3D printers, the X series. Leading from the Front and Overcoming Struggles Since its inception, German RepRap has experienced a huge gap between the expectations of its customers and the actual possibilities of 3D printing technology in general. The lack of knowledge among clients and the hype over 3D printing created by the media were the reason behind wrong expectations. Overcoming these false expectations to deliver the actual result was a challenge for the firm. We see ourselves as the engineer’s choice, offering full control over the 3D printing process while having the flexibility of using any material that the printer can technically process printing. 3D printing is a time-consuming process which demands skilled individuals in different disciplines. Also, with the technology just starting to get implemented into university programs, it was not at all easy to find the right set of people. The Future that Looks Promising As the development of the technology and the consumables are moving so fast, German RepRap sees themselves more than just a manufacturer of 3D printers, but also as a consultant helping to find out if the ideas of the engineers can be realized with their technology and if so in what specific way. There are fascinating times ahead for German RepRap, especially because of the massive speed of development in all 3D printing related fields, such as hardware, software, and consumables. Everyone speaks about industry 4.0 where 3D Printing already will play a huge role, in combination with the trend of customization which shows the limits of traditional manufacturing. At present, German RepRap serves more than 24 countries already, and they strive to continue growing their presence in the new markets as well. German RepRap has a strong connection to the industry, and they plan to use that advantage to align their R&D activities as close as possible to the demands of the industry. Another challenge German RepRap faced was to find the right people that have already gained knowledge of 3D | August 2017 | 43