Falling dramatically short of their original Q4 estimates, Stratasys attributed the missed projections to issues with the sale of its MakerBot 3D printers. Since then, the company has taken a number of steps to get their consumer 3D printing products out of the warehouse and into the hands of customers, including financing plans for individuals and businesses to purchase MakerBot goods in installments and new product bundling for educational institutions. The company is seeing some success through its MakerBot Innovation Center program, demonstrated by the recent launch of a Center at UMass Amherst, but continues to reach out to a greater number of distributors to sell its MakerBot 3D printers.
UMass Amherst has just turned the Digital Media Lab at its Du Bois Library into a complete MakerBot Innovation Center, MakerBot’s largest product bundle. In addition to supplying training for students and staff, the Center consists of 50 MakerBot Replicator 3D Printers (35 5th Generation Replicators, five Z18 3D Printers, five Replicator Minis, and five Replicator 2X 3D printers), as well as filament, and MakerBot Digitizer 3D scanners. The school’s Digital Media Lab is just one among 500 libraries across the country to have MakerBot 3D printing products.
The company has also announced a new distribution channel through WYNIT, which will allow an even greater range of resellers to begin selling MakerBot’s products. While this helps WYNIT’s resellers to have a new product to accompany their other electronics, it also allows MakerBot to make its tech known to more North American customers.
As the company continues to grow its presence around the world, in part due to the success of its Replicator 2 3D printers, such bundling and expanded distribution will help the company sell the current generation of products. The Stratasys subsidiary’s recent management shift may, as some readers suggest, help them overcome the issues alluded to when discussing their previous distribution issues.
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