Almost exactly one year after the Ultimaker/MakerBot deal was officially completed, UltiMaker, the desktop 3D printing super-brand which arose from one of the biggest 3D printing mergers of 2022, has announced the appointment of its new CEO.
Michiel Alting von Geusau will take over the reins from Nadav Goshen, the former MakerBot CEO who maintained his leadership position with the new brand following the departure of former Ultimaker (that's Ultimaker with a lower case 'm') CEO Jürgen von Hollen last September. UltiMaker says Goshen is leaving to pursue a new endeavour.
Bart Markus, Chairman of UltiMaker's Supervisory Board has described von Geusau as "a seasoned and results-oriented leader with extensive experience in driving growth within technology companies." However, his appointment as UltiMaker CEO represents Michiel's first foray into additive manufacturing (AM) technology, having spent his career leading various companies through successful acquisitions and integrations, most recently as CEO and CFO of e-commerce services company Docdata N.V., where he led its sale to Ingram Micro Commerce & Fulfillment. But Michiel believes having a fresh perspective, outside of the AM bubble, is a good thing.
"I look at things completely differently," von Geusau told TCT. "Within the company, there's so much knowledge on 3D printing, on all kinds of innovations, the market, the materials, so I don't think I need to add any knowledge on that. What I can add is my experience from very different markets. How do you set up the business model? How can you improve it? Even in my first week, I've already seen many examples of where I can add completely different value to the company."
New UltiMaker CEO Michiel Alting von Geusau
Having just stepped into the role on September 4th, von Geusau doesn't elaborate too much on what those examples are, but suggests it expands on a strategy both Ultimaker and MakerBot had separately been working towards in recent years: building out an ecosystem that's about more than just the 3D printer itself.
"When I started in the internet world, it was also a market with a lot of challenges and it was growing, but I think we were very successful by linking very closely with our clients and then developing further," von Geusau explained. "That's something I think I can bring here. It's not just the 3D printer - it should be a lot more. And you can only do that with key clients in the market."
While von Geusau says he has spent the last week getting a beginners crash course on all things 3D printing, he already recognises products like Cura and CloudPrint as good examples of how UltiMaker is differentiating itself from competitors, particularly lower-cost desktop offerings, by providing a complete 3D printing solution that encompasses hardware, software and materials.
In his first week, von Geusau has flown from the Netherlands to New York to spend time with teams in each location. He describes UltiMaker's people as "crucial" and his first port of call as he begins to shape plans for the future to "understand what they're doing, what their vision is, what their idea of the future is." The next step will be to meet with clients and resellers who he believes are "key to understanding what the issues are in the market."
Get your FREE print subscription to TCT Magazine.
Exhibit at the UK's definitive and most influential 3D printing and additive manufacturing event, TCT 3Sixty.
Von Geusau is eager to learn. For each question he answers during our short conversation, he asks just as many of his own. But he's not completely green to the technology's potential. His first memory of 3D printing was around five years ago at a previous company which used printed jigs and fixtures to accommodate different models along a mobile phone repair facility. Whenever a new mobile phone model was introduced, the company could quickly adapt their production line to fit.
"I was really impressed by that, but that was five years ago," he said. "A lot has changed since."
So where does he see the technology heading next?
"The market is moving into more established markets and I think that's also a new phase for the company where you probably need more incremental improvements together with your clients; continuously improve the system to make it better, more reliable, more precise, faster."
He doubles down on the idea that this growth will only be made possible by working with "bigger clients," and there should be plenty to tap into with UltiMaker already counting the likes of Ford, NASA and L'Oreal amongst its industrial users.
UltiMaker S7 3D printer
The AM industry has not been immune from the pressures of economic uncertainty that have impacted the global economy over the last few years. The industry itself has undergone much transition, with M&A deals regularly signed between major players since 2021, resulting in consolidation and restructuring. The biggest - and perhaps most dramatic - deal, centred around MakerBot's minority owner Stratasys, is still ongoing. With so much noise, why enter this industry now?
"I like challenges and I like to do something completely new," von Geusau explained. "It gets me excited and I'm only a week at the company, but I've already learned so much about 3D printing, about materials, about heat chambers, there's so much to learn."
"With the challenges in the market; when is it going to really grow in the future? Where should you be? That all got me excited. I said, okay, let's do this."
When UltiMaker unveiled its new unified branding at RAPID + TCT earlier this year, it also outlined plans for how its products would be marketed going forward, to benefit various industrial sectors, while continuing the legacies of both Ultimaker and MakerBot brands. With some crossover between products, it was decided that the UltiMaker S and METHOD series 3D printers would both continue to support manufacturing, product development and other professional applications, while the MakerBot brand would remain operational as a sub-brand within the education sector, with the MakerBot SKETCH Series targeted at K-12 learning.
"We should certainly operate as one company, but on the other hand, you can have specific solutions for market segments," von Geusau says. He offers education as a good example of how the company is offering specific hardware and software solutions that cater to this particular segment and suggests the same could be done for other markets in future.
The first phase of von Geusau's leadership will be about continuing to have those vital conversations with those inside and outside of the company who know the technology well, both what opportunities there are for growth and the challenges in between. He is focused on the future, and believes UltiMaker has a bright one. His tactic for reaching that bright future is simple: "You have to be smarter than the competition."
