Further expanding its network of distributors in the North American continent, Makerbot has recently signed an agreement with D&H Distributing for distribution of MakerBot® 3D printing and scanning solutions in the US.
As a leader in the consumer 3D printing market and a pioneer in the creation of a 3D printing eco-system, MakerBot is driving adoption of the technology by focusing on enabling its wide scale applicability in learning and research. In this regard, D&H specializes in important vertical markets for 3D printing, such as education, medical/healthcare, government, and manufacturing. MakerBot is keen to work with D&H to help gain penetration in these spaces due to D&H’s breadth of programs for dealers and resellers in said verticals. D&H’s offerings includes: trade show and educational opportunities, marketing materials and dedicated personnel, focusing on both niche markets and individual technology trends.
MakerBot’s printing and scanning solutions will be incorporated into D&H’s comprehensive K-12 education offering, which includes a resource page at dandh.com, plus educational sessions through avenues like its Solutions Lab Training Center. Both MakerBot and D&H concur that K-12 and higher education are areas that are expected to help drive the continued adoption of 3D printing. As noted by Mark Schulze, General Manager of the Americas and Emerging Markets for Makerbot,
We’re excited to partner with D&H to help expand the availability of MakerBot 3D printers and scanners in areas such as education, medical and healthcare, which we at MakerBot see as crucial for the growth of the 3D printing market. We’re especially thrilled about D&H’s strength in the education vertical. Just as it was for computers in the 1980s, we see educational use of 3D printers as an important catalyst for the broader adoption of the technology. D&H also reaches the top 100 consumer electronics and IT resellers in the United States, which we think will help us expand our sales channels across the U.S. to reach designers, educators and engineers.
MakerBot Replicator® 3D Printers are already in 5,000+ universities, schools and libraries throughout the U.S. MakerBot believes D&H’s vast reseller network, in addition to more than 2,100 bookstores and campus retailers, combined with its vertical expertise, will pave the way to expand into additional educational institutions. In the campus retail marketplace, MakerBot will be poised to benefit from a unique opportunity to showcase desktop 3D printing to the tech-savvy, youth-based college marketplace, which tends to embrace emerging technology.
Expanding on the importance of the agreement, Jeff Davis, Senior Vice President of Sales at D&H Distributing, said,
MakerBot is a true market pioneer, offering a comprehensive and accessible MakerBot 3D Ecosystem of 3D printing and design solutions. The company’s strategy to deliver a breadth of support and instructional materials, from software apps to educational sessions to its MakerCare program, is aligned with D&H’s own mission to help communicate the terrific potential of this burgeoning category. MakerBot’s 3D printers and scanners offer high-performance solutions for a range impressive applications, from creating spare equipment parts, to producing in-house 3D models, to creating prosthetic equipment and materials for surgeries and reconstructions. We want to help proliferate MakerBot’s 3D printing products throughout the U.S., leveraging the brand through our small business and mid-market value-added resellers who sell into a range of sectors.
According to the agreement, D&H will distribute MakerBot Replicator 3D Printers, which include the MakerBot Replicator 5th Gen, Mini, Z18, and the Replicator 2X 3D printers. In addition, D&H will offer the MakerBot Digitizer™ Desktop 3D Scanner, PLA and ABS Filaments, and other MakerBot 3D printing accessories.
This follows a slew of distribution agreements that Makerbot has signed in various continents over the course of the last eight months. Partnering with the best in Rectron in Africa, Datech in Europe and WYNIT in US & Canada, Makerbot is rapidly ensuring that their end-to-end solutions in 3D printing technology are available at a store near you.
