3D printing company Materialise has entered into a franchise agreement with a South East Asian integrated manufacturing services provider to provide localised 3D printing services to the Asian market. UCT will operate the franchise of the i.materialise 3D Printing platform from their Additive Manufacturing Center in Singapore.
The franchise agreement between Materialise and UCT was signed just last week and is the latest move from one of the West’s larger 3D printing companies to enter the underserved Asian market. On hand to witness the signing was Her Royal Highness, Princess Astrid, Representative of His Majesty, the King of Belgium who was on a trip to the region to expand Belgian business relations with China.
“i.materialise is dedicated to helping people to materialise their ideas, and in a way that’s what this franchise agreement is doing — giving even more creative individuals the possibility to turn their dreams into 3D reality,” said Materialise Executive Vice President Wim Michiels. “Additive Manufacturing has the potential to revolutionize how things are designed, made and distributed, and can truly contribute to the realization of a better and healthier world. I see this collaboration with UCT as a great opportunity to bring quality 3D printing, and the benefits it enables, closer to home in South East Asia.”
Materialise is one of the 3D printing industries leading software and process development companies. The i.Materialise web tool allows users to provide customers with instant price estimates on 3D printed goods based on the size of the object and the material or 3D printing process being used. UCT will fulfill orders from its Singaporean 3D printing facility using its pre-existing manufacturing infrastructure, providing affordable 3D printing options to Asian clients in a region dominated by traditional manufacturing methods. UCT is expected to begin servicing clients within the first quarter of 2015.
“UCT strives to bring the newest manufacturing solutions to our broad base of customers. We believe offering the i.materialise 3D Printing Platform through our new and expanded Additive Manufacturing Center in Singapore will offer our customers manufacturing choices previously unavailable to them,” explained UCT Asia Senior Vice President Lavi Lev. “Our customers can confidently entrust their product to two companies who offer over 50 years of combined excellence and innovation. Furthermore, we are grateful to do this in a region that offers a stable business environment, a rich pool of talent and a government that enthusiastically supports advanced manufacturing technologies.”
3D printing has been slow to catch on in many Asian markets because traditional manufacturing is so entrenched in the region, however that is rapidly changing. Not only are large Western 3D printing companies moving into Asia, but plenty of Asian companies are beginning to develop competitive alternatives to European and American 3D printing technology.
