Whilst everyone wishes everything would go much faster it is perhaps relevant to understand that building a global strategy into a marketplace which is itself only just emerging, is a strategic game. The long term benefits will include customer adoption, trust and familiarity which, when it comes to embedded software, will be a solid base from which to expand with the companies as they grow production facilities and increase machine orders.
Asia will, without any shadow of a doubt, develop huge AM production facilities, alongside impressive AM machine manufacturers. The strategy behind the sales channels, the timing and so on was mentioned by Mark in an interview last June. When the facilities come, and they are getting closer investors will be very happy that Sigma has already built the networks, spoken to the clients, established the sales channels to get in at the beginning when the first machines go in. The beauty of this all is that these are new facilities, a new engineering paradigm. First movers will benefit greatly adoption wise as it all develops. Being behind the game and trying to do all well after companies have built/strategised/bought would be incredibly stupid. I for one compliment Sigma on its foresight to establish these relationships and networks now to be ready when the orders come in.
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“We already know of this exciting, increased activity in [the Asia-Pacific area] and we were approached on several fronts and saw it necessary to develop specific sales and marketing relationships in those countries,” Cola told TCT. “We already announced an agreement with a sales and marketing representative in Singapore. As these countries continue to expand their reach into this advanced manufacturing space, we believe the timing to enter these markets was correct and begin to respond to their enquiries.”
Cola explains that Sigma Labs sees two clear paths for sales and marketing opportunities. These concern OEMS, who make the machines that prop up the 3D printing sector, and the end users. China and South Korea have plenty of both. Thus, when two reputable resellers approached Sigma Labs from these two countries, it made sense to proceed.
“These groups that we’re working with, these representative agencies, are already well established key stakeholders in the advanced technology space, so we saw it as the right move to specifically become involved with them,” Cola added. “They already have the necessary outreach and customers and client base for us to quickly penetrate these markets and develop our own customer base.
“It’s not a reseller opportunity at the moment, it is a sales representative opportunity – introductions to a market that we couldn’t necessarily do on our own. We see that as a branch of our own sales and marketing.”
Sigma Labs’ Chinese partner, Beijing Yida Sifang Technology, will look to introduce the quality assurance specialist to the burgeoning 3D printing market in China. Cola notes the Chinese market space is immediately an attraction to any company, such is its status as a manufacturing hub. And he points out that as these manufacturers continue to put their machines on the market, and their reputations at stake, they will want to assure the quality of their products.
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