Is UltiMaker going “secure”?
I’ve watched the desktop 3D printing industry since it began more than 15 years ago, and in the years following, almost all of the original companies have disappeared. Some suddenly, while others gradually faded away.
One that’s still around is UltiMaker. They have been quite successful in the past, developing robust systems that integrated very well into business operations. In fact, they specifically designed their hardware, systems, and even pricing to be compatible with business environments.
That strategy worked very well.
But now things seem to be changing. The traditional players in the 3D print space are pressed hard by new competition from Asia, and at this point, it is becoming easier to say that a few huge Chinese companies have basically won the 3D printer war. According to some research, 88% of the market is taken up by Bambu Lab, Anycubic, ELEGOO, and Creality. The remaining twelve percent is shared among everyone else, including UltiMaker. And that was last year’s stats; this year’s will likely be even more dramatic.
What is a company like UltiMaker to do?
As they’ve done in the past, they must change strategy. Now it seems that their new strategy could be coming clear with some marketing material distributed this week.
Fabbaloo readers may recall that a couple of years ago, they were experimenting with a new product that provided secure operation. They had found that sales of their standard products to the military were all undergoing a process once delivered: the military folks would rip out any networking capability, lock down the firmware, etc., in an attempt to make the machines securable from their viewpoint.
UltiMaker noticed this and simplified the process by stripping out that stuff right at the factory. Or rather, not installing it in the first place. That saved UltiMaker time and costs, and also saved the customer a lot of trouble, too.
At the time, I thought that was an interesting approach and wondered if it would succeed.
This week I saw some new marketing material from UltiMaker that suggests the company is heading directly into the secure space.
From the material:
“NATO-aligned
EU-made
Mission-ready
Built in the Netherlands
NATO certified”
They explain that the machine is fully air-gapped and completely offline.
A quick look at their website shows a military application front and centre.
Their competitors, regardless of how large and powerful they might be, cannot compete in this particular market. They are not legally allowed to do so for security reasons.
This creates an oasis market for UltiMaker, and it seems they’re going for it. Of course, they are also continuing with their existing professional market, but having another market to pursue is always a good thing.
That’s a good plan, considering the circumstances.
Via UltiMaker
