Manuevo BV, the Eindhoven-based workforce that acquired the European property of Shapeways BV, has now obtained possession of the Shapeways model.
It means Manuevo – a subsidiary of WVS Worldwide Inc. – will proceed working utilizing the Shapeways identify lower than 5 months after the corporate launched within the wake of Shapeways’ chapter.
Shapeways was initially launched in 2008 as a 3D printing market and repair supplier, increasing from the Netherlands into the USA and finally itemizing on the general public inventory change. In July, failings on the US facet of the enterprise pressured the corporate to file for chapter, leaving its worthwhile European enterprise within the lurch. Authentic co-founders Marleen Vogelaar and Robert Schouwenburg stepped in alongside Eindhoven Plant Supervisor Jules Witte to accumulate the European property out of Dutch chapter, organising a phoenix firm below the momentary ‘Manuevo’ model. They’ve since sought to accumulate ‘all accessible property’ from the American trustees dealing with the chapter of Shapeways, along with the property additionally acquired within the Netherlands.
Vogelaar, Schouwenburg and Witte now make up a part of the administration workforce that owns the Shapeways identify, web site and unique Eindhoven manufacturing facility. The corporate says it’s going to proceed to supply a variety of 3D printing applied sciences, supplies and post-processing choices however, in the meanwhile, is not going to restore the corporate’s market and retailers choices attributable to a lack of information throughout the chapter. Shapeways has additionally confirmed that, although the brand new administration workforce purchased all of the accessible mental property owned by the defunct firm, this didn’t embrace person IP resembling mannequin information, because the trustees have been unable to promote user-owned IP to a different proprietor. Due to this fact, all person IP information has been misplaced.
To this finish, Shapeways says all native gadgets have been wiped in a licensed course of undertaken by a third-party appointed by the trustee within the Netherlands, eradicating all buyer IP. Shapeways accounts and retailers that existed previous to the chapter are now not energetic, although the brand new administration is working to carry again e-commerce integrations with Shopify and Etsy, and customers who have been owed cash by the earlier Shapeways entity could make a declare by the American trustee (particulars on the foot of this text). The OTTO and MFG elements of the Shapeways enterprise have been bought earlier than the chapter and subsequently gained’t be supplied by the brand new entity, whereas though the brand new administration is hoping to carry again {the marketplace} sooner or later sooner or later, they anticipate it’s going to ‘take a while’. Lastly, Shapeways has confirmed the US-based manufacturing services and bodily property have been bought to a different occasion and should not a part of the Manuevo BV’s administration workforce’s acquisition.
“After I helped to launch Shapeways in 2008, it was on the forefront of democratising entry to digital manufacturing,” Vogelaar, the brand new Shapeways CEO, stated. “The brand new administration workforce believes there’s a ‘subsequent chapter’ to be written within the Shapeways story, one that features studying from the previous and constructing a realistic, financially sustainable and operationally secure firm that continues to supply distinctive service to our customers.”
New COO Witte added: “Our perception in Shapeways has pushed us to proceed this journey. The acquisition of the Shapeways model marks a major milestone on that journey, however doesn’t sign the top. In reality, we’re excited by the alternatives that lie forward for Shapeways, our clients and their clients. We’ve got a protracted technique to go, however retain our core skill to supply high-quality elements to satisfy the wants of our various buyer base.”
The entire administration workforce is as follows:
- Marleen Vogelaar | CEO | Co-founded Shapeways in 2007, serving as COO & CFO earlier than leaving in 2014
- Robert Schouwenburg | CTO | Co-founded Shapeways in 2007, serving as CTO earlier than leaving in 2012.
- Jules Witte | COO | Joined Shapeways in 2012, serving most lately as Plant Supervisor of the corporate’s Eindhoven facility.
- Job van de Laar | Plant Supervisor | Joined Shapeways in 2019, serving as Operations Supervisor.
- Tiago São José | Head of Engineering | Joined Shapeways in 2012, serving most lately as Engineering Supervisor (Platform & IT)
Evaluation
Although Manuevo efficiently acquired the bodily property of Shapeways’ European arm of the enterprise in August and has been operational ever since, acquiring the Shapeways model is a major feat for the brand new administration workforce.
With all 5 of that management workforce having both based the unique firm or spent a number of years working for it, all of them carry the Shapeways tradition, perceive the corporate’s standing, and consider in its potential. They now even have its identify.
And it’s not simply any identify. Shapeways’ chapter didn’t simply imply the lack of an AM market, one much less service supplier, and yet one more tombstone within the additive graveyard, it was the demise of one of many business’s strongest and most recognisable manufacturers. That had reverberations past the AM market, and would make the success of a phoenix firm that bit more durable to return by.
The acquisition of the branding and the web site, together with the unique Eindhoven manufacturing facility, represents the restoration of the Shapeways id. And id was maybe extra essential to this enterprise than every other within the AM business. Members of the Shapeways group have been known as ‘Shapies’, and those that went on to work elsewhere by no means did shift their affiliation with what was a bona fide business pioneer.
In chatting with TCT earlier this 12 months, founder and new CEO Vogelaar wasn’t shy in stating that Shapeways ‘misplaced its soul a lot’ within the decade previous to its chapter, with Schouwenburg including that its technique was ‘drifting and – frankly – far and wide.’ Although the pair of them had departed Shapeways greater than ten years in the past, what it meant to be a ‘Shapie’ by no means left them, and within the final 4 months they’ve labored onerous to revive a enterprise that meant a lot to so many.
As Vogelaar went on to inform TCT’s Deep Dives Publication in September: “The core of [Shapeways’] soul was nonetheless wholesome and alive within the Netherlands. That workforce ran a great, worthwhile enterprise with a real coronary heart for 3D printing and offering nice service to its purchasers. Collectively as a workforce, saving that workforce, offering continuity for its purchasers and preserving that core alive is pricey to our hearts. Letting all of that go to waste would have been such a disgrace. There are extra tales to be instructed for our workforce, [as well as] current and future purchasers.”
At present is the beginning of these tales.
If the previous Shapeways possession entity owes you cash — as an example retailer credit score as a vendor or shopowner — you may contact the American Trustee together with your declare:
Alfred T. Giuliano Giuliano
Miller & Co., LLC
2301 E. Evesham Street Pavillion 800,
Suite 210,
Voorhees,
NJ 08043
