In the world’s industrialized countries, VARs — or Value-Added Resellers — have been a fixture of professional, industrial and technology marketing and sales for decades.
The 3D printing industry has undergone its fair share of “VARification.” VAR’s are most typically associated with hardward. And, the available 3DP hardware choices — in particular — seem to be continually expanding.
The “Value-Added” in VAR is multi-directional:
First and foremost, the value is added for the customer or client.
Second, the product manufacturer or producer gains the value of an in-market, territory-knowledgeable, product-purchasing (generally), product-supporting and brand-building localized partner. And,
Third, by dint of becoming the local product expert and producer representative, the VAR adds value to its own brand and goodwill-building among a community of client/customers.
The successful VAR “owns” its community. “Principals” — the manufacturer/producer with whom the winning VAR collaborates commercially — may come and go. But, geo-entrenched and local relationship-networked VARs gain immunity from the vicissitudes of representation turnover. In particular, in a hyper-dynamic industry like 3DP, more hyper-growth manufacturing principals will need effective representation than there will be professional VARs to serve them in the foreseeable future.
Carefully applying customized answers via the hardware, software and systems functionalities presented by their manufacturing principals, the best VARs deliver client/customer solutions. They are consultative-sales experts. For their niche, they become an extension of customer engineering and marketing departments. Among other services, VARs provide:
- key client-specific solutions,
- sales from purchases for their own account,
- local product-stocking positions,
- quick deliveries,
- product training,
- new-product introductions (in effect, new answers),
- support,
- supplies,
- repairs,
- collateral,
- co-marketing and
- client/customer brand-building.
A further-specialized version of a VAR is one who engages explicitly in international business. This importer VAR purchases product from a foreign supplier overseas for his own account, “lands” the product in the U.S. by handling various importing procedures, markets and sells the imported products and represents the interests of the foreign manufacturer in the U.S. marketplace.
Now, we have an example of a “young” VAR who is taking advantage of the hyper-growth in the 3DP industry by adding to its stable of foreign principals. Sculptgraphicz, Inc. of New York City — an Importer VAR — is building its list of international reseller representations. At the recent Rapid Show in Detroit, Sculptgraphicz announced that it had been appointed as a U.S. national reseller for Digital Wax Systems’ (DWS) “X” Line.
Marvin Seligman, President of Sculptgraphicz, said: “DWS Systems provides extraordinary solutions for rapid prototyping and additive manufacturing. DWS Systems Innovative 3D printers make amazing models and parts straight out of the machine.”
Digital Wax Systems was founded in 2007 in Vicenza Italy, having evolved from a firm with many years of experience building prototypes. Steeped in the values of its community and dedicated to perfecting their craft, DWS has emerged as a contender with the stereolithography (SL) process. It has set new standards in the jewellery industry, where it has been used for many years. DWS Systems products are sold in over 60 countries.
Sculptgraphicz also resells Mcor Technologies of Ireland and Formech International Ltd. of the United Kingdom.
Sculptgraphicz’s tagline is “Connecting Smart 3D Print Technologies To Smart Users.” To help accomplish this “smart” positioning in the market, the company is making innovative use of marketing and sales tools. Sculptgraphicz has created a “Rolling Showroom” to physically present its products lines in a repurposed recreational vehicle anywhere in the Tri-State Area! Prospective customers can schedule a Rolling Showroom visit directly via a link on the Sculptgraphicz Website. A clever means to assure organizational differentiation in the marketplace…
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