Lulzbot's intensive testing
It’s rare that we see a good news story coming out of the mainstream press about the health of desktop consumer-based 3D printing, in the past 12 months as the hype subsided and the bubble burst stories have been very much in the doom and gloom camp. But perhaps we’re back on an upward trend now as Aleph Objects, the manufacturers of Lulzbot, have been included in the prestigious Inc. 500 as fastest-growing privately held computer hardware company in the United States.
Inc. Magazine’s 35th annual list is ranked according to percentage revenue growth over a three-year period and Aleph Objects’ 2,782 per cent three-year sales growth comes in at 122 overall and is the only 3D printing company in the top 500.
The inclusion in the list is testament to the approach CEO, Jeff Moe and his team has taken to 3D printing; the company never saw this as a quick buck, it understood that desktop 3D printing had its drawbacks and focussed on satisfying users’ needs as opposed to embarking on hype-laden gimmicks. The LulzBot line of printers has incrementally improved but the company has never left behind its initial customers, it has continued to support them.
During a meeting earlier in the year I accompanied Harris Kenny, VP of Marketing at Aleph Objects, to a London-based hackerspace that had a first generation LulzBot machine, there it was amongst all of the other tools, still regularly in use, still in fully working order. It’s this kind of durability that has given LulzBot a standing of excellence in an industry filled with so many pratfalls.
“We are honored to be named among the fastest-growing private companies in the United States and the fastest computer hardware company,” Aleph Objects, Inc. President and CEO Jeff Moe said. “Our company's success shows the power of Free Software, Libre Innovation, and Open Source Hardware, and we look forward to continuing this growth in the years to come.”
The following statistics kind of speak for themselves as to why Aleph Objects continue to be a leading light for desktop 3D printing:
- For the second quarter of 2016, the company reported revenue of US$5.8 million, recording four consecutive profitable quarters
- Second quarter 2016 represents an 83 percent improvement in year-over-year revenue versus second quarter 2015
- Year-to-date 2016, the company reported profitable performance on revenue of US$10.5 million
