The 10 Best Additive Manufacturing Companies to Watch, 2020

Vol 06 | Issue 02 | 2020

Andreas Hartmann Co-Founder

Dominik Schmid

Co-Founder

A PIONEER IN ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING

The 10 Best Additive Manufacturing Companies to Watch

Editor’s Desk

How 3D Printing is Changing the Medical Industry!

B

ack in the 80’s 3D Printing, which is otherwise famed as additive manufacturing was first developed. This specialized printing method involves taking a digital model or blueprint of the subject that is then printed in successive layers of an appropriate material to create a newly printed version of the subject.

Later the technique has been applied to many different industries, which also involves the medical technology.

Most of the times, medical imaging techniques, including X-rays, CT scans, MRI scans to produce the original digital model, which is later gets fed into a 3D printer.

Currently, 3D printing in the medical field is being used to produce prosthetic limbs that are customised to suit and fit the wearer perfectly. Often amputees have to wait weeks or months in order to receive prosthetics through the traditional route. However, 3D printing significantly speeds up the process of making prosthetic limbs, as well as creating much cheaper products that offer patients the same functionality as traditionally manufactured prosthetics.

The best part of 3D printed prosthetic limbs; these are particularly applicable for children’s usage. Who often outgrows their prosthetic limbs.

Another use of 3D printing in the field of medicine, is creating patient specific organ replicas, which can be used by surgeons to practice on before performing any complicated operations. Later, this technique has been proven to speed up various procedures and to minimise trauma for patients.

Till date, this type of procedure has been performed successfully in various surgeries, which ranges from a full-face transplant to spinal procedures and specialists hope, it is the beginning to become a routine practice.

Back in January 2018, surgeons in Belfast successfully practiced for a kidney transplant for a 22-year-old woman using a 3D printed model of her donor’s kidney. However, the transplant was quite a bit of complicated, as her father, who was the donor, had an incompatible blood group and was diagnosed to have a potentially cancerous cyst. So, the surgeons assessed Using the size and placement of the tumour and cyst by using the 3D printed replica.

So, in this issue of Insights Success, we have shortlisted; “The 10 Best Additive Manufacturing Companies to Watch, 2020”, who are working round the clock to bring new innovation every day.

In this issue, we have Solukon Maschinenbau GmbH as the Cover Story.

Solukon demonstrates smart and high-quality solutions for part processing, offering 15 years of experience in the engineering of AM systems.

Cover Story

08

Solukon Maschinebau GmbH A Pioneer in Additive Manufacturing

ARTICLES

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38

SUBTITLE

SUBTITLE

Is it Possible to Control Threats?

Does Articial Intelligence Reaps More Benets or Threats?

CONTENTS 3DGBIRE The Globally Known 3D 24 Printing Experts

B9Creations Professional Grade 3D Printing Solutions Since Inception 30

GEOMIQ Revolutionizing the 34 Manufacturing Industry

Leadership Column Is the Single Brand Dead in MPS? 18

CXO Experts Insights 28 Fintech The Next Big Thing

Editor-in-Chief Pooja M. Bansal Managing Editor Anish Miller

Executive Editor

Assistant Editors

Kaustav Roy

Jenny Fernandes Rohit Chaturvedi

Visualizer

Art & Design Director

Associate Designer

David King

Amol Kamble

Kartik Balapurkar

Co-designer Savita Pandav

Senior Sales Manager

Business Development Manager

Kshitij S

Peter Collins

Marketing Manager

Sales Executives

John Matthew

David, Kevin, Mark, Sagar

Technical Head

Business Development Executives

Jacob Smile

Steve, Joe, Alan, Sanket

Technical Specialist Aditya

Digital Marketing Manager Marry D'Souza

SME-SMO Executive Prashant Chevale

Research Analyst Frank Adams

Database Management Stella Andrew

Circulation Manager Robert Brown

Technology Consultant David Stokes

sales@insightssuccess.com June, 2020

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Cover Story

Solukon

Maschinenbau

GmbH A Pioneer in Additive Manufacturing

“

Solukon has extensive experience in the engineering of additive manufacturing systems

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M

etal 3D-printing, or additive manufacturing, is growing up. Processes are faster, more accurate and increasingly reliable. Additive manufacturing today is an established industrial manufacturing method. AM parts get even more complex and the demand for serial production is on the rise. The flip side of the equation is that part complexity and mass production mean greater challenges in the downstream tasks associated with getting AM parts processed, cleaned and finished. Understanding the risks and increasing demands of 3D printing, Solukon demonstrate smart and high-quality solutions for part processing, offering 15 years of experience in the engineering of AM systems. The company also won TCT Post-Processing Award 2019 at the annual TCT Awards on September 25, in Birmingham, UK. Focusing on major issues The predominant metal AM technology in the market today is powder bed fusion. Since these systems are based on melting of fine metal powder, one of the key issues in the industrialization of the process: the removal of unfused powder from AM parts right after they come out of the machine. De-powdering is a weak link in the metal AM process. The issues faced by users include the risk of explosion, occupational health, labor costs, powder recovery, cleaning quality and process repeatability. A backdrop to these operational issues is a growing trend towards regulation and standardization, which pushes

manufacturers to think more carefully about their manufacturing processes, both at the level of requirements for the part itself, such as cleanliness and process repeatability, and at the level of the manufacturing facility in general.

Solukon became aware of the challenges facing metal AM users in 2013 and has been developing automated powder removal systems ever since. The company is based in Augsburg, Germany, and has been supplying smart and high-quality solutions for the AM segment for more than 15 years. Since the introduction of automated SFM depowdering systems in 2014, Solukon has become the pioneer and leader in the automated processing of metal AM components.

The Solukon solution tackles a very real problem. After the print job has been completed, internal channels are frequently filled with powder, and attempts to clean the parts with air pressure are generally inadequate. 3D printed parts with complicated internal channels, such as heat exchangers or conformal cooling channels in injection molds or gas turbine parts that follow the contour of the part, have presented highly difficult challenges for powder removal – in particular when the parts are large and heavy.

The Solukon automated de-powdering solutions with continuous and almost unlimited freedom of motion have had a major impact of innovation as it assures a gentle and time- saving de-powdering with reproducible cleaning results. Current powder removal processes are typically manual. On the surface, manual cleaning does not appear to require much knowhow and can be performed by using blowing or brushing. The truth is that manual cleaning very often is unable to remove stubborn powder consistently and reliably.

Advanced solutions The Solukon automated depowering systems are approved for safe and reliable processing of powder materials, including tough-to-handle and reactive metal powders like titanium. Due to highly efficient and reproducible cleaning results, serial production and certification of manufacturing processes, in industries such as aerospace and medical, are easier to attain.

Solukon systems clean metal laser melted parts within a sealed process chamber, using adjustable vibration and automated two-axis part rotation. Through programmable rotation of the build-plate in two axes, unfused metal build material is completely removed from complex parts and support structures. Depending on the build material, the process chamber can be rendered inert with safety monitored inert gas infusion.

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BEST

Companies to Watch

Dominik Schmid Co-Founder

Andreas Hartmann Co-Founder

The Solukon innovations remove the bottle neck that limits large and complex designs, and set a new standard for the industrialization of Laser Beam Powder Bed Fusion (LBPBF) technology on the shop-floor. The company continues to develop improved solutions, and aims to entrench its position as the global metal AM powder processing leader.

Two AM experts The Solukon founders, Andreas Hartmann and Dominik Schmid, have been active in the additive manufacturing sector since the beginning of the 2000s. After working together as engineers and project managers in a well-known 3D printing company, they decided to start their own business and opened Solukon as an engineering office in 2013. Initially, Solukon offered engineering services in a range of different industrial areas, such as food and packaging, but also continued to develop new 3D-printing systems and peripheral equipment for customers in the AM industry. Deep relationships in the AM world in Germany, nurtured over many years, and extensive experience in the needs of the industry, helped put Solukon on the map in a short time.

Technology was not the only reason for the company's success. Solukon's entrepreneurial founders threw their full weight behind the development of their company, taking personal responsibility for all aspects of the business. Both handled every step in the company's development, from

engineering through purchasing and manufacturing, to sales and service. With the growth of the company, today things are a lot more structured and organized. Andreas Hartmann concentrates on technical development and engineering of the systems and Dominik Schmid is responsible for the company's organization and administration. Important decisions, either technical or commercial, are taken jointly by both of them. They serve as joint CEOs. This ensures that every decision is well thought through and sustainable.

Both CEOs see eye-to-eye on the organic and sustainable development of their company.

"Our aim is to give the industry a smart and highly automated tool to close the gap between manufacturing and post processing. Our technology helps to save labor time, ensures the most stringent demands of health and safety are met, and increases significantly the quality process. At the same time it reclaims the residual powder without contamination and makes it available for further processing and re-use", says Hartmann.

"We think this is an important step for a sustainable industrialization of AM", adds Schmid.

An evolving technology The management of fine dust in powder-based AM technologies has been neglected in recent years. Solukon expects this to change both as a result of what customers

are demanding, and through the introduction of more stringent regulations. The company has been gratiďŹ ed to see that the AM industry increasingly recognizes the value of its highly automated de-powdering solutions. As AM moves steadily towards new applications for larger production runs, automation will take on greater importance through the entire process chain.

Solukon expects further growth in the demand for parts with high complexity, especially in the aerospace and energy sectors. It also expects other markets will be inspired by the remarkable creativity of new generations of engineers and designers.

Collaboration for advanced solutions To develop innovative solutions, Solukon pays close attention to customers' needs, and often takes advantage of the knowledge and experience of established and leading industrial companies. In 2018, the company collaborated with Siemens to develop specialized software that drives its systems, to facilitate the removal of stubborn powder deep inside internal channels using advanced algorithms.

The core competencies of Solukon remain in-house. These include engineering, assembly and service. However, the company does not hesitate to avail itself of the experience

and cost-eectiveness of the manufacturing ecosystem in Bavaria and elsewhere in Germany.

Dominik Schmid: "We have built our team by selecting professionals with a high level of expertise and motivation. We make sure that they have all the freedom they need to develop. In this way, we create an innovative environment that makes us compact, eďŹƒcient and highly agile."

Andreas Hartmann: "Building a company is a lot about business and administration, but at heart I am an engineer. A high level of innovation, in combination with traditional engineering skills, are what drive the company."

Blue-chip customers Solukon target customers primarily in aerospace, but increasingly also in the energy, oil and gas, medical, automotive, governmental and defense sectors. Solukon actively exhibits at international shows in Europe and USA, and enjoys an excellent reputation among AM users of all kinds. The past two years have seen the company's customer base grow dramatically. Solukon systems are now installed at leading manufacturers in Europe, the U.S. and Asia.

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Solukon products meet the highest functionality and safety standards

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Choose E xc e l l e n t, Choose Insights

IS THE

SINGLE BRAND Dead in MPS?

I

f you are an MPS provider, you may have realized the “single brand from a single vendor” solution is falling out of favor with end customers. So, what has changed and is MPS a sustainable offering?

As of 2018, we are 20-years into the bell curve for MPS. For many years, prospects were first time buyers who viewed their environments as messy. Printers and copiers were everywhere from different manufacturers and vendors.

Control was distributed among departments, Facilities, and IT. Acquisitions methods were just as diverse and included purchases, leases, contracts from local dealers and national supplies resellers.

Print was a big mystery to customers. They had no idea how many devices they had, how many pages they were producing or how much they were spending. They needed a clear picture of what they had and potential solutions. Then they struggled with satisfying all stakeholders and gaining consensus on a final solution. Projects were time consuming, political and even risky for the project lead.

You played a valuable role as an MPS vendor. In the customer’s eyes, you were the expert who taught them something new and showed them a path forward. You offered expertise and people to find out what they have today and were able to develop a complex solution. The journey took many months from concept to assessment to proposal. You earned the role of trusted advisor so it was only natural that the customer would see a “single brand from a single vendor” as the best available solution.

Pricing changed. You wrapped up the solution into bundled pricing that simplified costs for the end customer and

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enabled you to shield pricing for hardware, maintenance and supplies. After all, there were managed services wrapped around all products so the customer agreed with the bundled pricing format. Bundled pricing enabled you to work with margins behind the curtain.

Come decision time, the customer realized that Implementation would affect every user and the potential cost savings put it near the top for cost-savings initiatives.

These two factors elevated the project to the most senior management levels for approval and executive sponsorship.

The sales cycle got longer but the project became more important to more people. The final result was often a case study of successful transformation from a messy environment to a lean, managed print environment.

So, what changed in recent years? The MPS market had certainly matured. Customers had lived through the transformation from unmanaged to managed. With the end of their first MPS contract came a new perspective and different buyer attitude. The customer was no longer sick and in dire need of expertise. Their fleet was no longer messy. Devices had been consolidated and processes streamlined. Customers had clear visibility to what they devices they had, how many pages they produced, and the total cost of ownership. The mystery was solved.

Your role changed. In many cases, the customer was more experienced in real-world MPS than your sales team. Sales people struggled to teach customers something new, something of significant potential value. Talk of potential cost savings by switching vendors was no longer compelling – the big savings had already been taken. The MPS story from one vendor sounded the same as the other

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Leadership Column

vendor – in fact, the story sounded exactly the same as the one told years earlier by their current MPS vendor.

Now the end customer was asking about your ability to support their existing fleet, to do repairs and provide consumables. The potential for placing your new hardware was not clear. These new MPS opportunities felt like they belonged more to the vendor service and inside sales teams than to the account sales department. The customer was now clearly in control and driving the sales process.

In the past few years, many dealers have exited the MPS market and refocused on their traditional selling motions.

They found MPS operations different and costly. Sales reps were harder to train and it took longer to get them hitting quota numbers. So, like a rubber band, dealers re-focused on their core competency. So, what does the future look like for those dealers wishing to stay relevant in the MPS market?

Ben Harris Founder

Harris Technologies

It is time to look inward to tackle five key obstacles to growth and profitability in MPS: • Redefine your value and how you will educate the customer • Define a strategy for pricing and supporting both OEM and compatible supplies • Justify managed services independent of products • Learn how to participate in an open sourcing model • Decide if a fragmented customer environment and sourcing model is good business The days of single brand and single vendor are gone.

Sourcing methods have changed dramatically for everything – including print – and the pace of change is accelerating. Vendors must rethink the value provided and how to educate the customer. MPS vendors will still spend months doing assessments and proposals only to be faced with the purchasing process that would unbundle pricing and force transparency to price by product category. The decision then is can you re-invent your practice to enable you to participate in this new arena and win – profitably.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR Ben Harris is the Founder of Harris Technologies, Inc. Ben Harris enjoyed a 15 year career in corporate sales, selling and implementing large contracts to Fortune 500 companies around the country. In 2006, he decided to begin a new journey, leaving the big office and tie to start up his own firm. After years of perseverance and dedication, Harris Technologies has become a recognized leader in their space.

June 2020 | 19

Is it POSSIBLE to CONTROL Threats? e, as humans, are completely dependent on the internet. We live in a world where almost every facet of our lives is connected to the internet to some degree. Such is the situation that nowadays we cannot even carry out a simple task without using the internet. When we want to listen to a song, or even when we want to buy some stuffs for our household need, we often look towards the internet to fulfill our needs.

W

kind of plague for the 21 century. In 2018, data breaches are a pervasive and ever-present fact of life.

Cunning criminals can infiltrate electronic files from across a room, or across the globe, with nothing more than a laptop or access to an IoT device, while barely raising their pulse. Government networks, specifically, are susceptible – not just from attackers, but also interconnectivity issues, hardware snafus, user error, and acts of God.

Nowadays, Digital Identity has evolved to a point that was hardly imaginable even a decade back. Today’s world may have narrowed with the advent of the digital age, but it also seems to have become a place where the threats to our safety, security and privacy have expanded. Unfortunately, both individual devices and networks are vulnerable to attacks. These attacks often compromise not just personal and private information, but constantly results in losses that compromise far more than monetary possessions.

Cybercriminals are increasingly turning towards highly-effective, advanced cyber security weapons such as ransomware, information stealers, IoT exploits and TLS/SSL encrypted attacks to target organizations of all sizes around the world. Cyber attacks have become one of the biggest nuisances and most potent threats that individuals, organizations, and governments have to contend with today.

The internet has become a valuable vehicle for criminals to anonymously prey on victims through cyber breaches and corporate espionage. The world even possesses the ability to store identification data including fingertips, iris scan and others. But thanks to attackers, nowadays, most of our data is up for sale, most definitely on the dark web. Shockingly our whole identity accounts and data from 11 different groups from online shopping to entertainment services, to personal finances accounts and data categorized as proof of identity.

Computer viruses, bugs-even the term “hack” suggests illness. With good reason: Cyberattacks are a new 22 | June 2020

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Therefore, Cybersecurity is more important than ever for every business. It is one of the most prominent issues and concerns for organizations of all sizes, and for their customers as well. As the world becomes more connected, Cybersecurity platforms will have to struggle with increasingly sophisticated attacks.

Attackers have access to more computing power and have developed the ability to go after businesses of any size, but focus particularly on small and medium sized enterprises that are not well protected.

Cybersecurity professionals exist in an increasingly complex world. There are several application security techniques available today, but not all security vulnerabilities can be found by any one of them. For Cybersecurity solutions to be successful in these www.insightssuccess.com

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environments, it is important that the companies run in real-time and have the ability take immediate action to eliminate problems. Visualization, speed, and scalability are must-have characteristics of an eective system.

The security services sector will continue to grow as more people understand and accept that conducting business in the internet age is fraught with Cybersecurity risks. To tackle cybercrimes at present and in future, the companies should create a real-time database, ensuring that the most up to date and accurate information is provided to its customers and clients. The cyber-security service sector will continue its phenomenal growth, right now, there are hundreds www.insightssuccess.com

or even thousands of cyber-security companies.

However, down the line, uniďŹ cation will occur where only the big players will remain in the market.

To avoid these challenges, one needs aware of knowledge of new security systems, solid plans, and comprehensive visibility. The more work Cybersecurity companies can do up front in the above mentioned areas the better the chances of success with lesser outages. So, with more skilled professionals and by ďŹ lling the vacant positions, the cyber threats can be minimized to a great extent.

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The Globally Known 3D Printing Experts

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hen discussing emerging technologies and markets, 3D Printing is often a topic of hot debate and interest across a wide variety of industries and professions; as the machines continue to appear in design studios, factories and manufacturing facilities across the globe, 3D Printers are becoming an essential piece of equipment for many businesses. With the global market revenue forecasted to increase from $15.8 billion in 2020 to $35.6 billion by 2024 (The Wohlers Report) the market is quickly becoming saturated with manufacturers and distributors. 3DGBIRE are different, they stand out from the masses providing more than just 3D Printing technology they provide a complete 360-degree service which includes training, support and service, the ideal solution for businesses without the necessary in-house expertise or time to integrate additive manufacturing organically.

Describe your company and its cutting-edge Additive Manufacturing services which address all the needs of your customers.

Insights Success spoke to 3DGBIRE Operations Manager Peter Cropper to discuss how 3DGBIRE have become one of the UK leading 3D Printing distributors:

Could you throw some light on the company’s mission and vision statement?

What led to the inception of the company?

3DGBIRE began as the technical support, service and warranty provider for Ultimaker in the UK, after developing a reputation for our customer-centric approach and high quality of service, we garnered the interest of some of the world's leading original equipment and materials manufacturers. The resulted in us building a wide ranging, ever growing product portfolio with only the best and most reliable and innovative brands to meet the changing needs of our dynamic and eclectic customer base.

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We specialize in assisting industrial customers to adopt additive manufacturing. Using a consultative process, we identify the most appropriate applications, technologies, and materials for our customer's needs. We demonstrate substantial returns on investment based on significant cost and time savings.

Beyond the initial service 3DGBIRE provides ongoing support for all of our customers with a technical help desk service and access to professional training in all aspects of 3D printing. We also provide the UK & Ireland technical service and repair center for the original equipment manufacturers of the brands we represent.

Mission - To help industry adopt additive manufacturing.

Vision- To be recognized as the leading UK & Ireland provider of additive manufacturing solutions for industry.

UK & Ireland Leader - The leading additive manufacturing solutions provider in the UK & Ireland, delivering the highest quality equipment, support, and services in the field of 3D printing Additive Manufacturing Solutions - We take time to get close to our customers to ensure that we understand their needs – our skill is in providing solutions to their needs which deliver significant business benefits for them.

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1MANUF A DCTURING DITIVE T H E

BEST

Companies to Watch

“ Founder & CEO

Give a detailed description of the featured person’s influence over the company and the industry.

Through our consultative approach, we help customers taking up additive manufacturing to do so in the most efficient and cost-effective way, using the most appropriate technologies and materials. This leads to faster adoption of AM within the various industry sectors and a more comprehensive knowledge transfer for the customers we work with.

We also work closely with original equipment and materials manufacturers to ensure that they understand the needs of our customers and their direct feedback. The insights we provide are used by equipment manufacturers for the development of both existing and new 3D printing technologies. Our technicians carry out extensive testing of machines, materials, and techniques, directly assisting in their development. We act as a connector within the industry, helping to spread current best practices and to refine new ones.

“

Sam Al-Mukhtar

Access to apprenticeships. Appropriate curriculum inclusion and development for 3D printing from primary to University level. Assistance to be sought from educators and forthcoming from the industry. Government assistance in pushing this agenda.

According to you, which upcoming/current technology is going to be a disruptive force for the industry (Additive Manufacturing industry) in the near future?

Cost-effective metal 3D printing at a price point which allows wider spread and faster adoption by industry users.

The integration of additive with CNC and other manufacturing technologies smarter materials optimization and selection linked with generative design solutions. Our work with Meltio will be instrumental in the implementation of this technology for our customers throughout 2020 and beyond.

What are the greatest challenges the Additive Manufacturing industry facing and how are they best dealt with?

Access to education and training for young people in additive manufacturing so they can enter this rapidly growing industry with the right skill sets. Education courses needed to keep up with the speed of change and the development of additive manufacturing.

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June 2020 | 25

What technologies are you leveraging to make your services more resourceful? Ÿ Ÿ

Meltio - Cost-effective metal printing.

Additive Flow - Smarter materials optimization and selection linked with generative design solutions.

Who are your potential customers? And what marketing activities do you implement to reach out to your potential customers?

Customers - Key Industries Although we operate within a wide range of industries our customer base generally be defined by these specific industries: · Engineering · Product Design · Art · Architecture · Automotive · Aerospace · Dental / Medical · Food and Packaging

· We make and distribute case study videos of customers and their success stories. · We associate with a number of alliances and industry networks. · We collaborate with our network of suppliers creating and distributing marketing material. · We run daily email campaigns to our list of subscribers.

Testimonials “Results from day one, super easy to use, within a couple of hours we had the 3D Printer up and running and they just don’t break down. So we’ve invested, again and again, now we have what we call the ‘print farm’.” – Simonstone Engineering “The guys at 3DGBIRE are great, any questions we’ve got, ring them up to print settings, little tweaks or tricks, they are really good to work with.” – Team Dynamics Motorsport

Marketing · We take stands at the major industry trade shows. · Hold customer events to showcase technologies. · Social media strategies and targeted advertising.

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Experts Insights

Francisco Mariscal Co-founder & CEO

Fintech The Next Big Thing

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e are at a time in which technology advances at an incredible pace, unlike other generations, today’s society is accompanying technology, allowing it to develop without fear of looking back. Unfortunately, regulation and laws cannot advance at the same speed, and that is creating dangerous gaps that can destabilize the economy as we know it today.

The crisis we have experienced during the last decade has shown the shame of the economic system, and its fragility in some aspects, such as its banking dependence. The latter has allowed alternative investment to hatch, and with it many ďŹ ntech tools, blockchain systems, tools based on peer to peer, etc ...

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The problem we are experiencing is that, with the mentality of breaking the rules so as to write them again (something that in principle should be positive for society), we are forgetting the basic rules on which our society is based; data protection, right to privacy, capital controls, or protection of retailers, are basic rules that should not be forgotten, because if we do so, we are going back in time despite being in the most advanced technological cycle in history. And this can lead to a spiral as much or more dangerous than the crises we have experienced in recent decades.

Do not mistake the passion necessary to advance in a disruptive business, with moving forward at any price, the next decade will be marked by major changes in many sectors: Fintech, Insurtech, Foodtech, Legaltech, etc. As we can see in their names, they all rely on technology, in which in most of the cases there is no regulation or jurisprudence, so we must be cautious with the rules on which we write, because if we do it in the wrong way we will be wasting the opportunity that is being given to us.

A clear example of the above is that the majority of cryptocurrencies, which as we all know are written under Blockchain technology. The blockchain technology is very reliable, but it is not infallible, and unfortunately the states are not prepared for its supervision and control, so even though its survival and development is clear, here the market is not ready to hatch, and unfortunately we are seeing how it advances at a speed of madness, and possibly we will see scary situations, because the vested interests are very high, and possibly some are not entirely licit.

Another example, are the famous ICOs, in 2017 we have seen how the www.insightssuccess.com

About the Author Francisco Mariscal is a Founding Partner of Fellow Funders.

Telecommunications and industrial organization engineer from Universidad Europa, he has a master’s degree in Quantitative Finance from AFI and an Executive MBA from EAE Business School.

volume under management with this type of product has multiplied by 5 in direct investment on the same type of asset, I do not say that that is bad in itself. But when we see that companies that have not been able to finance themselves by normal alternative investments, manage not only to do it by this method, but also obtain three times the capital they needed, it looks like we are facing a bubble, and that if it is not controlled can only bring problems to the system, and possibly the ones that will pay for this will be the usual ones, the retail investors. All this will bring fear into the tools that are being born now, and could end up becoming a mere frustrated attempt, instead of a complement of the future.

Both examples described above are allowing us to generate inflation in value and price, something which we all know what it will bring us ... It is

clear that crises, like wars, generate poverty, although in the long term these allow the pillars upon which the economies are built to be more solid, and with that comes certain economic evolution and improvement, at least to date. Therefore, my insistence on control, at least in what affects citizens, the companies can take risks, but without transferring them to people.

In general, the fintech sector has a huge market for its development potential, disintermediation and the creation of value for the user will mark the next decade. The new generations want products that provide value and that do not generate captivity of anything or anyone. And this is my reflection, to generate value to the user, it is something more than just to provide a friendly and easy to use tool, we must protect the users and explain the risks to be assumed. We are seeing how many investment platforms sell highrisk products to their users through marketing tools. It is clear that we could not live on a banking product eternally. But what can not be allowed is that the rules of protection for retail investors are violated, because in doing so we will be destroying a complement of value to the traditional banking product.

As a conclusion of all the above, almost all the Fintech tools have a long life ahead, the regulation is tracking behind, but if we want it to last over time, we must not forget the basic rules of user protection in all its aspects.

Although there are no rules in most cases we must use common sense, which in many cases we are demonstrating that it is the least common of all the senses. Users are our loudspeaker to change things, and if we mistreat them, all they will say is that we are another failed attempt at evolution.

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We've taken the same approach with technological innovations, developing medical and industrial-grade 3D printers with customizable options for OEM and enterprise customers.

As the additive industry continues to evolve, user expectations will shift and place the burden of integration on the technology provider, not the technology adopter, making industry-specific workflows critical – and the companies that can get there the fastest will be a disruptive force.

What technologies are you leveraging to make your services more resourceful?

Almost every company that produces or ships anything is exploring the potential of additive manufacturing to impact their business today. By developing solutions that are not just hardware-based but leverage lean production methodology with hardware, software, and application knowledge, we de-risk investment in additive for our customers.

Who are your potential customers? And what marketing activities do you implement to reach out to your potential customers?

Our potential customers run the gamut of small business owners to international conglomerates in high-precision applications looking for a production-grade, fast, easy-touse digital manufacturing solution that scales to their need.

We've served startups all the way to large companies deploying solutions to nearly a thousand locations.

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The need those customers have in common is seeking a solution that just works – no maintenance, no downtime, no additive manufacturing expertise required – capable of moving from prototyping to production runs of thousands of parts with ease.

Our potential customer is also looking for a solution that integrates into their industry, whether that's a software solution that takes CT scans of a fractured joint and turns them into printable anatomical models and surgical planning tools or material that delivers flawless casted jewellery pieces every time.

How are you leveraging the entrepreneurial ideas of early and growth-stage businesses?

Some of the most innovative applications of additive technology we've seen come from the entrepreneurial ideas of early and growth-stage businesses – and their focus on streamlined, effective production in a resource-scarce environment sharpens our solutions as they must not only meet that need, but the ones those same early-stage businesses will have as they scale.

Meeting customer requirements for a solution that reliable scales from a single company office to hundreds of locations across the world – while complying with the stringent requirements demanded of medical, aerospace, and the like – means our team is not only developing and deploying incredible technology but the business model and value stream integration, lean manufacturing principles, and customer experience to match.

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Revolutionizing the Manufacturing Industry

F

rom rapid tools, rapid prototypes or large quantity runs of specialist precision parts, Geomiq approved partner network for CNC machining services lets you innovate faster. Whether you need injection moulding prototypes with rapid tooling or complex multi-cavity injection moulding for production, Geomiq approved partner network lets you innovate faster. Whether you need simple sheet metal cutting, prototype enclosures or large quantity runs of specialist precision sheet metal fabrication, Geomiq approved partner network of sheet metal fabricators lets you innovate faster.

Primary Focus on the Technologies Geomiq focuses primarily on the technologies that are being used and trusted by the industry. The company does oer specialized new technologies to the customers who are in their initial prototyping phase. It often sources and partners with innovative companies that focus on innovation, whether it be materials or technologies. 3D printing is very popular these days, it is cheap to prototype, and the turnaround is quick.

However, Large R&D departments who have multimillion budgets would still prefer to have their prototypes CNC machined due to the level of accuracy and repeatability. This is not saying that 3D printing is worse, it depends on the application, and the level of accuracy is required.

DMLS is something that is already being used in the industry with a bit more time, and a wider adoption the price will also drop considerably that’s where the 34 | June 2020

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1MANUF A DCTURING DITIVE T H E

BEST

Companies to Watch

“ Founder & CEO

technology will start to improve and gain wider adoption.

Challenges in Additive Manufacturing One of the greatest challenges in additive manufacturing is delivering quality products to customers, which are to their expectations. As mentioned previously, it’s really hard to pin down the exact tolerances and repeatability of parts that have been manufactured using additive technologies. But things are getting much better, and additive technologies are advancing at a rapid pace.

Transformation of the Manufacturing Industry Geomiq’s mission is to build the world’s best leading online manufacturing platform that delivers quality parts.

Delivered on time, to spec and at the fair price. The manufacturing industry has been long stuck in its old ways of “this is how its been done” and Geomiq is here to change that. Established industries such as Banking/Finance, Transportation, Government institutions have been thought to be untouchable and couldn't be disrupted, but today they are all under pressure from more intelligent systems that are more effective & affordable.

“

Sam Al-Mukhtar

here to witness the transformation of the manufacturing industry as a whole. Online platforms data-driven systems and Artificial Intelligence is already driving manufacturing in this direction.

Wide Range of Industries As Geomiq provides CNC machining, Injection Moulding, Sheet metal fabrication, and 3D printing services, it can cover a wide range of industries. The company's customers are from a wide range of industries, from toys to high-performance motorsports parts. Its network of manufacturing partners gives the company the flexibility of working with a variety of industries.

The team at Geomiq believes manufacturing is experiencing the same shake-up, and the company is www.insightssuccess.com

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An Exceptional Character Sam Al-Mukhtar is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer at Geomiq. As a design engineer, he has worked on a number of high profile projects which required the manufacture of custom parts. It was important for the team to have reliable suppliers who would deliver the correct parts in time and to spec. It doesn’t sound complicated, does it? However, the bottleneck was in the communication between suppliers and manufacturers.

Among never-ending email strings with suppliers and manufacturers, miscommunication was one of the roadblocks. The second issue that the company encountered almost every time with each and every manufacturer was that parts were always delayed. And almost something was wrong somewhere whether the part got damaged in transit due to poor packaging or because the manufacturer forgot to thread a part or something else. Starting Geomiq has been on Sam’s mind for a long time, the idea was to provide a platform, system to connect engineers and manufacturers.

The Forefront of Industrial Revolution As a start-up, it’s essential to explore all ideas and as a startup growing at an incredible pace Geomiq is able to think outside of the box, rapidly pivot innovative business models, test and implement ideas quite quickly.

Everyday is different and that’s what makes Geomiq

different, it doesn’t want to become “just another manufacturing company” the company wants to be at the forefront of the industrial revolution.

Testimonials “We use the Geomiq platform as it is the easiest and fastest way to get any of our parts made. They are the obvious choice, highly recommended!”

Director, Industrial Product Design Firm “The quality and service since using Geomiq has rapidly accelerated our development process for roadmap, strategic and bespoke projects.”

Design Engineer, Bespoke Lighting Company “Geomiq streamlines your parts supply chain down to a single supplier. A true enabler for anyone involved with fast paced R&D through to production.”

Robotics Engineer, AI Robotics Company

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Does

Articial Intelligence

Reaps More Benets or Threats?

A

rtificial Intelligence refers to the intelligence of machines and it contrasts to the fundamental knowledge of humans and animals. With Artificial Intelligence, machines perform functions such as learning, planning, reasoning, and problem-solving. Most noteworthy, Artificial Intelligence is the simulation of human intelligence by machines. It is probably the fastestgrowing development in the World of technology and 38 | June 2020

innovation. Furthermore, many experts believe that AI could solve significant challenges and crises.

Artificial Intelligence has applications in various other fields. These fields can be military, law, video games, government, finance, automotive, audit, art, etc.

Hence, it’s clear that AI has a massive amount of different applications. When looking realistically at how AI can be applied by the majority of businesses www.insightssuccess.com

to aid marketing, it’s easy to see that the focus should be on Machine Learning.

Artificial Intelligence in business would significantly save time and effort. There is an application of robotic automation to human business tasks. Furthermore, Machine learning algorithms help in better serving customers. Chatbots provide immediate response and service to customers. AI can undoubtedly make education more efficient. AI technology can discover the needs of students. Then it can adapt according to their needs. AI tutors provide study help to students.

AI can significantly increase the rate of work in manufacturing. Manufacture of a considerable number of products can take place with AI. Furthermore, the entire production process can take place without human intervention. Hence, a lot of time and effort is saved.

Machine Learning involves the analysis of historical data from various business interactions with audiences, as well as the audience responses. This data will allow for the identification of the success factors of your communications, including targeting, offers, copy, and frequency. You can then use this learning in future campaigns to increase the chances of success.

For example, you can define a rule that establishes when to send emails aimed at re-targeting your audience, giving you a better chance of a higher ROI. Utilizing predictive analytics has been found to give consistently better results across several important metrics.

Many modern businesses, you have multiple levels of protection in place — perimeter, network, endpoint, application, and data security measures. For example, you may have hardware or software firewalls and network security solutions that track and determine which network connections are allowed and block others. If hackers make it past these defenses, then they’ll be up against your antivirus and anti-malware solutions. But what happens when cybercriminals get past these protections? After all, cybercrime doesn’t follow a set schedule —your cybersecurity response capabilities shouldn’t either. You need to be able to detect, identify, and respond to the threats www.insightssuccess.com

immediately. Regardless of holidays, non-work hours, or when employees are otherwise unavailable, your digital security solutions need to be up to the task and able to respond immediately. Artificial intelligencebased cybersecurity solutions are designed to work around the clock to protect you. AI can react in milliseconds to cyberattacks that would take minutes, hours, days, or even months, and it would take humans to identify.

Artificial Intelligence also plays a critical role in the field of medicine, including research, training, and diagnosis of diseases. The medical field uses AI techniques, such as Expert systems and Knowledgebased systems. These systems offer the clinicians and other medical professionals the ability to do data mining that is used in interpreting sophisticated diagnostic tests. Such tests and results are accurate since the AI systems integrate information from various sources to offer patient-specific therapy and treatment recommendations. AI-supported medical diagnosis is correct and provides information for both the patients and the experts for effective decision making. As such, it is evident that artificial intelligence has not only revolutionized the medical field but promises its sustainability.

In conclusion, amidst the fear that artificial intelligence is a threat, either now or in the future, it is clear that it has substantial and critical benefits for humans. Using the systems that mimic human and animal intelligence is the next frontier in solving problems within society. In this respect, its application in medicine could help in creating a breakthrough in finding the cure for chronic diseases. Furthermore, as man increases activity on the earth’s surface, nature is poised to fight back through natural disasters. In this case, AI comes handy as a partner to help humans prevent the aftermath of disasters. The only threat posed by AI is the loss of jobs, which again is predictable and has been a progressive issue. Even in doing so, AI presents an opportunity for job creation.

Therefore, AI has more benefits compared to the threats and stands as a solution other than a threat.

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