#31 Calling All Excel Green Companies!

Once in a while, someone asks me for better news: "Hey Pawel, couldn't you write about something more optimistic instead of just the bad things happening in the AM industry? You know—failures, bankruptcies, scandals..."

I always answer the same way—?Sure, just give me a real topic!” Not something like Company A sold a 3D printer to Company B (and it was only their fifth sale this year, despite being halfway through Q2). Or that Company C printed a large, complex part (which no one will ever order again because the production costs are astronomical; and by the way, it was just an experiment).

But you know what? I actually take these suggestions to heart. And I do wish I could write more about good things rather than bad ones.

Just like my colleagues in AM media, who always insist that everything is great, everything is growing, and everything is thriving. That this massive storm and flooding are actually good—because, hey, at least there won’t be a drought.

So I sat down and thought about it. Long and hard. How do I make that happen? And then I had an idea! A recent conversation with Paul Carlson , Chief Commercial Officer at AMT PostPro , helped me get there.

Paul is a true AM industry veteran—his résumé is seriously impressive! 13 years at Stratasys, then Vice President roles at INTAMSYS and 3DXTECH. Recently, he became CCO at AMT—a leading company in post-processing systems for SLS and MJF technologies.

We had a casual chat to get to know each other, share our thoughts on AM and the broader market. And during our talk, something interesting came up: AMT takes pride in the fact that—unlike many other companies in this industry—they actually make money!

Simply put, their Excel sheets are in the green.

And so, Paul and I discussed it… Maybe in today’s world, this should be the key indicator of a company’s quality in AM. Not the products (which are important, but often generate losses), not the amount of cash on hand (which is shrinking at an alarming rate), not even revenue (which is often disconnected from profitability). Just profit.

It’s really simple—either your company makes money from what it does, or it doesn’t.

Maybe we should start mapping the AM market differently? Maybe this should be the new way to rank companies?

Because tell me this—what’s the point of Company D generating $300 million in annual revenue if it’s reporting $100 million in losses? And has been for the past 5–10 years? Oh, and there’s also this funny little pattern—the more revenue they generate, the bigger their losses. The more products they sell, the deeper they sink into financial crisis.

Sounds absurd?

Welcome to the AM industry! This model isn’t just acceptable—it’s actually celebrated.

Alright, so how do we change this? How do we change the narrative?

Here’s my idea…

1. I hereby announce a new project – The AM Margin Masters!
2. I will feature only companies that are profitable and generate a return for their owners or shareholders (instead of deepening their losses). The proof will be verified financial results.
3. An article about the company will be published in The 3D Printing Journal, on LinkedIn, and later compiled into a downloadable PDF document. This is going to be a really comprehensive article. In my style. Lots of cool information. We'll do a little interview for it. It's going to be beautiful.
4. A verified and featured company will receive an official badge and certificate that they can proudly showcase.
5. From time to time (once per quarter or after every set of 10 companies), a downloadable PDF report summarizing the featured companies will be prepared.

In other words, I intend to highlight and promote companies that may not necessarily be media darlings, may not generate hundreds of millions in revenue, but are solid, well-structured, and financially healthy!

These are simply well-run businesses whose goal is to earn more than they spend—not to "create long-term value for shareholders" while racking up massive annual losses. Every. Single. Year.

Our 3D Printing World Guide project has shown that there are many fantastic AM companies around the world that don’t make front-page headlines, don’t sponsor conferences, and whose CEOs are not default keynote speakers—yet they still carry out outstanding projects and have built long, successful careers in the industry.

We want these companies to gain more visibility and receive the recognition they truly deserve. We want them to take the place of those who just talk a lot…

So, what does a company need to do to participate in the project? Here are the conditions:

1. The company must submit an application via LinkedIn or e-mail at [email protected].
2. The company must have been profitable in 2022–2023 (2 years) or in 2019–2023 (5 years) with at least 3 profitable years within that period (in such cases, the last two years in a row must not be negative—this would disqualify the company). If financial results for 2024 are already available, they can be submitted, shifting the eligibility period forward by a year.
3. The company must qualify as an AM business, meaning at least 60% of its revenue must come from this sector.
4. The company must submit financial documents for the relevant years. If a company is registered in a civilized country and has legal entity status (e.g., a limited liability company), it is required to submit such documents to national authorities, making them publicly available. This is the case in Poland, Germany, and other European countries. If a company does not want to share its documents, it is not obligated to participate in the project. It can still claim to be profitable, and we can choose whether to believe it or not. However, by submitting documents, it eliminates any doubts and demonstrates that it is serious.
5. The entire process—including document verification, publication creation, and the awarding of badges and certificates—is subject to a one-time fee of just 350 EUR.

Yes, you get a badge!

This is still a very rough project. We’ll refine it. But for now, let me hand the mic over to the skeptics, haters, and naysayers:

Tell me, Pawel, what’s the point of this badge? And who do you even think you are to be handing out badges, huh?

Here’s my answer:

• This allows a company to show its clients that, unlike much of the competition, it has something extremely rare in this industry—its own money. Yes, actual earned money, not cash raised from investors or shareholders that’s being burned through on failed ideas.
• Sure, a company can just say it’s profitable, but only through initiatives like this will that claim be properly amplified and recognized.
• It’s always better to have proof—an independent certification—rather than just boasting about it yourself.

As for my credentials, let me remind you that together with Anna Slusarczyk , we organized the first-ever industry awards for AM companies, honoring the best firms, products, and events of the year. We started doing this back in 2014.

No one ever questioned or challenged it. Companies proudly showcased our awards for years (some still do). So now, we’re doing the same thing—just in a different way.

Oh, and by the way, I do have a pretty solid reputation here. I work on it every single day.

So I encourage everyone to reach out. I’m sure there will be plenty of additional questions, and I’m happy to answer them. And listen—this is a new project, still in development. All feedback and suggestions are welcome.

For example, we’re working on a metric to weigh the submitted financial results. We’re also figuring out how companies can share financial documents without disclosing sensitive data they don’t want to reveal. All of this can be easily sorted out.

We’re waiting for applications!

So much for the introduction. And now, without further ado...

My podcast was launched!

Last week, I hit another major milestone with the release of my very first-ever podcast, featuring a special guest: Jonathan Jaglom —a longtime manager at Objet and Stratasys, former CEO of MakerBot, and the current CEO of flō Optics .

You can watch it on YouTube above and find it on other platforms below:

• ?? The 3D Printing Journal: https://www.3dprintingjournal.com/p/e1-jonathan-jaglom-flo-optics
• ?? Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1LCSbl139hnthJsl0pYidJ

Additionally, our third edition of The 3D Printing World Guide, dedicated to the German AM market, was also a huge success—we published profiles of 14 companies!

This week, we’re publishing Spain, next week Brazil (we’ve received so many applications that we’re considering splitting it into two parts!), and in two weeks, the wonderful Mexico!

But don’t worry, this isn’t the end. There’s another project in the works, waiting for its big reveal. And no, I’m not talking about the AM Margin Masters announced above.

Stay tuned!

#7. VoxelMatters released Metal AM 2024 market report

Some of you may already know this, while for others, it might be news—but for some time now, I’ve been collaborating with VoxelMatters in the field of market reports.

In case you’re unfamiliar, VoxelMatters isn’t just one of the three largest additive manufacturing (AM) media platforms in the world—it also runs the largest global AM company database and, most importantly, serves as an analytical firm gathering sales data from across the industry. These data points are collected, analyzed, compiled, and ultimately published in comprehensive market reports.

Last week VoxelMatters released the latest report about metal AM industry. And it was as well the very first one I co-authored (I mean words, not the numbers). Soi f you want to learn how this whole metal 3D prinitng really sells, this report is the best choice for you!

READ MORE: www.voxelmatters.report

#6. 3DPRINTUK announced ￡2 million expansion

3DPRINTUK has invested ￡2 million to expand its HP MultiJet Fusion production. The company has added three HP 5210 PRO 3D printers, increasing capacity by +60%. 3DPRINTUK is a leading UK-based additive manufacturing service provider specializing in polymer 3D printing, particularly with SLS and MJF technologies.

READ MORE: www.tctmagazine.com

#5. energize.am Consortium officially started its operations

Michael Molitch-Hou has announced energize.am , a new consortium he co-founded. The initiative aims to enhance the efficiency and reliability of energy supply chains by integrating 3D printing technologies. Among its members are 6K, Wayland Additive, and Autentica, with support from NAMIC, a Singapore-based research initiative. The consortium’s primary focus is securing grants to develop closed-loop manufacturing ecosystems.

READ MORE: www.3dprint.com

#4. Desktop Metal dropped Markforged from the Nano Dimension lawsuit!

Quite unexpectedly, Markforged announced that Desktop Metal has dropped its claims against them without prejudice in the lawsuit against Nano Dimension. Additionally, Markforged stated that the acquisition process by Nano Dimension is progressing, with most required regulatory approvals already secured—except for one: CFIUS.

READ MORE: www.markforged.com

#3. Julien Lederman – new Nano Dimension’ CEO released letter to shareholders explaining new strategy

After a month of silence, Nano Dimension has issued a statement. The new—though officially interim—CEO of the company, Julien Lederman , released an open letter to the shareholders discussing Nano Dimension's current situation and outlining the steps the company plans to take in the near future.

For the past month, Lederman has been analyzing the company’s status, assessing its opportunities, risks, and challenges, and developing plans to strengthen Nano Dimension’s long-term position. He emphasized repeatedly that before the company can move forward, it must address its past problems, listed in the letter.

Lederman also gave new insight into ongoing case of acquisitions of Desktop Metal and Markforged.

READ MORE: www.3dprintingjournal.com

#2. Roland officially released ceramic 3D printers

Roland DG has introduced two ceramic binder jet 3D printers, the PB-600 and PB-400, designed for creative and educational applications. Using Brightorb artificial ceramic powder, they enable high precision with minimal shrinkage. Originally teased in 2016, the technology is now showcased at TCT Japan.

READ MORE: www.voxelmatters.com

#1. GKN Powder Metallurgy and GKN Automotive (Dowlais Group plc), are acquired by AAM in $1.44 billion deal

American Axle & Manufacturing (AAM), the U.S.-based provider of driveline and metal forming technologies, has announced the acquisition of Dowlais Group plc, the British holding company that owns GKN Powder Metallurgy and GKN Automotive. The $1.44 billion transaction, comprising both cash and AAM stock, has been unanimously approved by the boards of directors of both companies.

Upon completion of the transaction, AAM shareholders will own 51% of the newly combined company, while Dowlais shareholders will hold 49%. The company’s headquarters will remain in Detroit, and it will be led by David C. Dauch, President and CEO of AAM.

READ MORE: www.3dprintingjournal.com

Summary of the most important events in the history of the 3D printing industry published last week:

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