BEEVERYCREATIVE, the Portuguese 3D printer manufacturer with one of the best logos in all of 3D printing (in my opinion), has made a few announcements that indicate how much this company values two things: user feedback and education.
Originally, BEEVERYCREATIVE had optimized their proprietary filament so that prints on their BEETHEFIRST 3D printers would come out with a higher resolution and overall quality. Well, as it turns out, customers don’t really like to be beholden to a company’s proprietary filament. At trade shows, I hear this kind of feedback almost immediately when an interested customer finds this information out from a manufacturer.
BEEVERYCREATIVE responded wisely, keeping the warranty intact even if a customer chooses to use a different filament. They’ve also added more colors and sizes of filaments for customers, found on the BEESUPPLIES section of their website. Though they still recommend the use of their own filament, they are providing a maintenance kit and have added interactive troubleshooting to help customers get on their feet or solve any problems that they might be having.
Customers also asked the company to bring down the price of their 3D printer, to which BVC responded that they would look at their numbers find a way to make the BEETHEFIRST 3D printer a bit more affordable. As it turns out, the company has been doing well enough to respond to their customers, announcinga new retail price of€1,299, or about $1500 USD.
Competing for the education market is the norm for most 3D printer manufacturers and resellers. So, on top of their new prices and filament policy, BEEVERYCREATIVE is partnering with another Portuguese company, NAUTILUS, an award-winning provider of educational equipment and technology,and 3D Printshow Educational Excellence Award Winner Philip Cotton, the design and technology teacher from Manchester behind 3dfilemarket.com. The partnership, formally announced at BETT 2015, will see the release of a new BEETHEFIRST model geared specifically to schools, with details on the new educational printer still to come.
In my opinion, responding to customer feedback is the only way that desktop 3D printer manufacturers are going maintain strong businesses in the face of the bursting hype bubble, as the number of 3D printers being sold each year begins to slow down with respect to those initial burst a few years ago. To learn about the new policy, pricing, and partnership from the bee’s mouth, BEEVERYCREATIVE will be exhibiting at the upcoming 3D Printshows in Madrid, Berlin, New York, and Paris.
