Object Geometries is Poised for Growth

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Ashan Dhunna, Sales Director – India & ME, Objet Geometries AP Limited

The 3D printing industry, globally, has witnessed a steep growth since 2003 and this technology is being widely adopted in industrial design, architecture, engineering and construction (AEC), automotive, aerospace, dental and medical industries, jewellery and footwear. Objet Geometries is the innovation leader in 3D printing and provides 3-dimensional printing systems that enable manufacturers and industrial designers to reduce cost of product development and dramatically shorten time-to-market of new products. Consumer Infoline talked to Ashan Dhunna, Sales Director – India & ME, Objet Geometries AP Limited, to know more on the latest.

Could you tell us about 3D printing in India as it a fairly new technology?
3D printing is a form of additive manufacturing technology where a three dimensional object is created by laying down successive layers of material. 3D printers are generally faster, more affordable and easier to use than other additive manufacturing technologies.

Globally, 3D printing technology is maturing and is on the verge of radically changing the rules for what, how and where everything is made as with 3D printing manufacturing literally comes home. Engineers and architects who have been using 3D printing prototypes for a decade already are now beginning to work with metals as well to print the final product.

Analysis from Frost & Sullivan’s World Rapid Prototyping Equipment Markets, reveals that the market earned revenues of $300 million in 2006 and estimates this to reach $859.4 million by 2013. 3D printing is going to be a huge industry because it’s more efficient than traditional manufacturing and have a tremendous impact on how we buy, sell and produce things.

In India, though the industry is still at a nascent stage, the potential is huge. 3D printing is going to be the next big opportunity for Indian software, hardware and the prototyping industry, The 3D printing ecosystem consisting of products, prototyping, community, software and hardware, also provides the Indian IT industry with many opportunities.

Please throw some light on Objet’s operations worldwide and India?
Worldwide, Objet Geometries is the innovation leader in 3D printing and provides 3-dimensional printing systems that enable manufacturers and industrial designers to reduce cost of product development and dramatically shorten time-to-market of new products. Founded in 1998, Objet serves its growing worldwide customer base through offices inUSA,Mexico, Europe,Japan,ChinaandHong Kongand a global network of distribution partners. Objet owns more than 50 patents and patent pending inventions.

Objet Geometries Asia Pacific is a subsidiary of Objet Geometries Ltd and is presently looking atIndiaas the next big platform for 3D technology in the Asian geography. Objet has rolledIndiaoperations through its office in Delhi NCR, Gurgaon and is poised to address the Indian market in a big way. InIndia, the future & scope of 3D printing is potentially high at the wake of industrial growth hitting 13%, while the Indian domestic IT sector is estimated to grow US$50 billion by 2020, when the overall IT industry size would grow to $175 billion.

The IT spend globally continues to increase at 4 per cent and global sourcing is growing at 10 per cent. Owing to the strong business diversity and quick adoption possibilities, we are hopeful that we would be able to tap the full potential of the Indian market as well.

What are the industry verticals you cater to and who are your existing clients?
3D printing has a wide range of application scope, especially in industries involving design. Objet Geometries caters to a wide range of industries panning across various sectors. Some of the key verticals that Objet has customers in animation & entertainment, architecture, automotive, consumer electronics and goods, education, defence, medical, industrial machinery, jewellery, sporting goods and toys to name a few.

Objet’s expertise and capability are reflected by the global brands that it caters services too. Our customers across varied fields globally  include Johnson & Johnson, Harvard Business School, DePuy, Boss, Bayer,Bosch, Fender, MIT, Disney, Schlumberger, Motorola, Hasbro, Legacy Effects, Adidas, Geberit, Kimberly Clark, BMW, 3M, YKK, Ikea, Mattel, Nike,Skoda, New Balance, Mercedes Benz, Procter & Gamble, Fisher Price, Gillette, Philips, Peugeot to name a few.

What are the different products and technology in your portfolio?
Our 3D printing systems & products are widely recognized for their high quality, accuracy, speed, versatility and most importantly the output which closely resembles the final product. We are one of the few in the market having a range of products that can meet any application, workflow and budget requirements of the end-user. Our products find use in a variety of sectors including Consumer electronics, education, automotive, Defence, Industrial machinery, Jewellery, Medical equipments etc.

We provide three families of High definition 3D printing systems:                                     

• Desktop Family-This is an affordable desktop 3D printing system, ideally suited for designers and engineers to build true-to-life models and prototype.
• Eden Family- These are the professional line of printing systems with excellent return-on-investment. With their compact design and clean processes they are ideal for any office environment.
• Connex Family- The Connex family have the unique ability to print parts and assemblies made of multiple materials in a single build with exceptionally fine details and surface finish.

We offer a full range of products that cater to different needs and our products are ideally suited for the Indian market. Our products are based on the patented and office friendly PolyJet technology and use the Full Cure materials to create accurate, clean, smooth and highly detailed 3D models.

What separates you from competitors?
 Objet Geometries has had a long history of living up to its technological promises and delivering quality printers to its customers. We are the pioneers in this space and are very comfortably placed at the moment. The market is fairly competitive but with our experience and expertise it wouldn’t be much of a challenge. Competition at best will only motivate us. The one thing that sets us apart from the rest of the pack is that our products and solutions are best suited for the Indian market and also that we provide customized solution makes us an ideal choice.

Our Polyjet system outranks all its competitors in terms of highest quality, best price and remarkable ease of use. Our key USP is that the actual materials contained in the Objet printer cartridge are excellent enough to print a direct product to be used immediately. This makes Objet stand far from their competitors and lead the market with a real product and competitive price. Our highly qualified professional team and marketing infrastructure globally makes us a top rated organization. We also claim over 50 patents and 70 licenses.

We also ensure a competitive edge to our clients by ensuring:

• Quick Production in a single step for immediate style, fit and function testing
• Faster development and testing of complex and multi-material parts
• Creation of accurate 3D models for illustrative, functional and design verification
• 3D models featuring 16 microns, ultra-thin layers
• Wide range of FullCure materials for printing 3D models

What is your strategy for the Indian market?
As compared to the global market, the Indian market is at a fairly nascent stage. Although companies are using this technology for rapid prototyping the level of adoption, it is yet to realize its full potential. Our global experience will be the pivotal in establishing ourselves as the biggest player.

Our Indian partners will also play a crucial role in our efforts to become the biggest player inIndia. We are in the final stages of appointing our local partners and once on onboard we will roll out our products and solution. With our customized products/solutions we are hopeful that we will be able position Objet as leaders in the 3D printing space.

For usIndiaa key market and with technology being such a big industry in the country, we are very confident that our printers will be able to further enhance this technology boom inIndia. The accelerated technology environment in Indian will prove to be a great impetus for our 3D technology drive and adoption thereof.

Please tell us about your distribution channel
In India, Objet business will be based on the channel partner distribution model. Currently we are in the final leg of appointment of our India channel partners and would shortly be announcing the same.

How does Objet add value to its resellers?
Currently, most IT resellers in India deal with software players only. By adding hardware solutions such as ours, they can make their portfolio robust and it will be another feather in their cap. From an industry perspective, it makes it more holistic.

Objet on the other hand also understands the importance of having a strong reseller network as they will be our touch points to reach to our customers in an effective manner.

Is Objet a late a late entrant in the Indian market considering your competitors set up operations earlier?
No, Objet isn’t a late entrant in the Indian market. Our distribution channel is almost in place and once we announce our partners we are confident that our products will be very well accepted. Considering it is market which is still at a nascent stage, I don’t think there is any first mover advantage for any of our competitors per say.

Do you stand to lose on competitive advantage?
As earlier mentioned the market is young and has tremendous potential. The fact that we cater to verticals across sectors and our products can be customized according to industry needs, we are confident that we will win business here as well. This in addition to our global experience makes us a strong contender.

What are your targets for the year?
That will be inline with the APJ business goals.