- “Swipe right on your next partner — in additive manufacturing”
3D Partners Network, a matchmaking organisation for additive manufacturing suppliers and resellers, has announced that it is now accepting applications from companies to join its network.
Additive manufacturing is an exciting and rapidly changing industry, with new Startups regularly disrupting trends and challenging industry veterans. For businesses looking to stay ahead in this competitive market, forming and maintaining new partnerships is critical.
“To this end, we are announcing the launch of 3D Partners Network, an organisation to help make connecting, communicating and doing business easier for companies working in AM. Our organisation aims to help innovative Startups get distribution easier, help local resellers find new products they can distribute, and ultimately widen the choice of products available to end-users in any given region.”
– Alicia Vazquez Martinez, head of communications for 3D Partners Network
Addressing cold calling and spam in the industry
Currently, resale channels are mostly developed by suppliers researching any potential vendors, then cold calling and cold emailing them in an attempt to establish a relationship. This is not only time-consuming, but also has a low success rate, as resellers are already defensive and frustrated by the frequent unwanted and irrelevant spam.
Distributors and resellers, on the other hand, lack an efficient way to find new suppliers and products. Larger companies dominate trade shows and search results, making it difficult for Startups and smaller suppliers to gain visibility. This also means that many e-commerce stores end up carrying the same brands, inadvertently creating price competition and reducing the pool of products available to end-customers.
3D Partners Network for Matchmaking
The 3D Partners Network will connect interested companies based on predefined preferences. Computer-based algorithms, similar to those used by popular dating websites and apps, will evaluate criteria such as product type, company size, region, and so on.
Alicia Vazquez Martinez added, “The algorithm is able to handle queries as simple as ‘3D scanner’, but also more complex wordings, like ‘large-format IDEX FDM printer, built in the United States’. For any questions more complex than that, we are happy to speak to members individually, and advise based on industry knowledge.”
Martinez concluded, “One of our main concerns is to respect the time and inbox of all members. By allowing companies to fill out a very detailed questionnaire, we can be fairly certain that only companies that really match each other’s profiles can send connection requests. Even then, both parties need to confirm interest before contact details are exchanged.”
To generate revenue, 3D Partners Network will rely on premium services such as channel development for suppliers, third-party logistics, branding and marketing services, and so on.
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