The CEO of 3D Systems (Avi Reichental), which is now a $5 billion manufacturer of 3D printers, says the company is considering an expansion into Europe and Ireland in particular. Mr Reichental said the Irish Development Agency had contacted 3D Systems about putting their European operation in Dublin.
As such, this “could be” a major step in establishing additive manufacturing as a key technology for Ireland.
The CEO explained,
“We are very open to expanding in Europe as half our revenue comes from outside of the US,” … “We are very much a global company.”
…
…“Ireland and Dublin in particular is attractive in terms of creating activities like common shared services and effective distribution and support. Ireland makes it very easy to run consolidated operations and most importantly it has a lot of really smart industrious entrepreneurial people. That is why you have a lot of technology companies in Dublin already.”
Editor’s comment:
Whilst investment is welcome in most countries, particularly in high tech, it is difficult not to be a little cynical when reading behind the headlines. This proposed investment whilst interesting for Ireland has little to do with the reasons given by the CEO. U.S companies use Ireland to book revenue and reduce their U.S corporation tax bill. A quick look here Corporate Tax Rates KPMG shows U.S rates at 40% vs Ireland’s at 12.5%.
About 3D Systems
3D Systems was the first company to truly start commercialising 3D printing back in 1989. Since then it has established itself as one of the market leaders. Correctly, the company also predicted that 3D printing has increasing potential to be a disruptive technology within supply chains and offer new opportunities to manufacturers that apply it.
In fact, to his credit and perhaps not suprisingly, the CEO of 3D Systems appears to believe in the points made by Paul Thomas in the future economic impact of additive manufacturing.
Specific to Ireland, Avi Reichental goes onto say:
“Ireland can establish itself as a manufacturing economy, a digital fabrication economy and a digitally literal economy in a world which inevitably is going to return to localised manufacturing.”
He is betting that small industrial businesses will use 3D printing to create local manufacturing economies. That is an opinion that we strongly agree with at 3DPrintWise, even it if takes another 5-10 years to come to fruition.