You might have heard of Anzu Partners recently, but who are they?
Anzu Partners is a specialized industrial-tech investor of considerable size. They’re essentially an investment firm, but one that also provides added expertise, including business development, market positioning, global connections, and operations. They are more than just a cash provider.
Why are we looking at them today? It’s because they have suddenly gone on a 3D print acquisition spree, snapping up several players in the space, including:
6K — Develops advanced materials via proprietary plasma processing for semiconductors, LEDs, battery tech, and additive manufacturing
voxeljet — produces large-format sand 3D printers for polymer and metal manufacturing
ExOne — A leader in digital sand casting 3D print technology for foundries and tooling
EnvisionTEC — Precision photopolymer resin 3D printers for dental, jewelry, and industrial applications
Note that the last two on the list were acquired from Nano Dimension, which had inherited them during their ill-fated Desktop Metal acquisition. Nano Dimension sold off what they could from that portfolio, and those two were seen as saleable.
Anzu Partners has many more companies under their umbrella, totalling around 35 different operations. Most of these are not involved or related to additive manufacturing, but all are high-tech businesses focusing on clean tech, industrial, and life sciences technology.
Why are they suddenly buying all these AM companies? They haven’t stated anything formally, but it appears they are attempting to form a portfolio of semi-related AM businesses. It’s possible they believe their management expertise and extensive network could overcome the challenges seen by the acquired companies when they were on their own.
For example, it’s possible that some of Anzu Partners’ other companies might make use of these AM technologies, making them instant customers. That’s the power of a larger management group like Anzu Partners.
Will they succeed? That’s very hard to say. Some of the acquired companies were in difficult positions where they sold out to others. Could Anzu Partners overcome those challenges?
Meanwhile, there is very strong competition in the market. Can the EnvisionTEC technology compete with Formlabs’ (relatively) less expensive technology? Can voxeljet and ExOne compete against the many metal 3D printing alternatives? We will see in the coming months.
Via Anzu Partners
