entrepreneurs 25


Pictures by Angus Thomas


how to start, develop and market a company. You make mistakes, but you don’t make them twice, and you develop very good contacts.


In our opinion a


lot of the current 3D print companies are old, traditional print/engineering companies. What I have done is to look at the telecoms model. I thought the response had to be quicker and our ethos is to get out there and let people know what it is about.


worked upon by men in white coats.


It’s not a ’project’ being It


has been crucial to implement the best of telecoms customer service and remains sales focused, rather than stick with an engineering project focus.


How quickly is this business taking off?


Phenomenally – medical applications, educational interest, aviation applications, fashion and retail. There is a drive to include 3D training in further education, because graduates and apprentices need this knowledge.


Are you surprised by its success?


No, I predicted it and the blue-chip take up as well as the High Street has been phenomenal. We’re on our 100th non- disclosure agreement. Printers cost from £3,000 to £1 million. Our main investment is R&D. We sell machines but customers can buy in to the service if they cannot afford what they need in-house.


Will we see it in the High Street?


UPS plans to expand the technology to 100 locations in the USA, having started with a pilot in six stores. Meanwhile, the 3D printing industry has posted rapid gains in 2014. According to a report on trends by Wohlers Associates, the sector grew 21% from last year. Amazon too has entered the 3D printing space by beginning to sell products which online shoppers can design. As it becomes more commonplace, costs will fall.


3D seems the stuff of science fiction, is it out of this world?


Well, yes actually. A 3D printer developed by a small start-up Made in Space has gone to the International Space Station; since 2011, the company has been actively working on development of its printer with NASA, proving that space is no longer the final frontier. The purpose of this printer is to demonstrate 3D printing can work on board the station, overcoming zero gravity. If so, NASA intends to use its printer for experimental purpose with an eye to one day printing parts for the station on demand.


THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE – SOLENT & SOUTH CENTRAL – DECEMBER 14/JANUARY 15


Who have you recruited to build the current team?


Some past telecoms colleagues, such as my co-founder and operations director here, Anna Edmonds.


Who taught you the most important lesson in business, and what is it?


A sales trainer I knew some years ago, who said there are three areas in business – those you can control, those you can influence and those you have no control over. He told me not to worry about the third and focus on the first two.


Who do you admire?


I have personally admired Steve Jobs as being one of the most innovative business leaders of our time – a brilliant man who inspired me to work harder, listen even more closely to what my customers want – and to also think outside the box. The innovations Apple has and is currently undertaking in technology, retail and Internet services represent Jobs’ keen understanding of what ’could be.’ He was truly a marketing genius and an entrepreneur who had an uncanny ability to think ahead in terms of what customers might want – even when they could not articulate the needs specifically. To be this visionary, passionate and successful was, and still is, remarkable.


Where do you go from here?


Southampton Science Park is a great location because we can expand. Many companies are seeing that bringing 3D in-house is a logical step. Because it used to be expensive and complex to carry out, companies formerly outsourced to dedicated bureaux. However, thanks to our technology, it is possible to bring the technology into the design studio.


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