Delivery services giant TNT has partnered with Berlin-based trinckle 3D to provide 3D print services to their clients.
It’s an interesting deal that echoes what UPS did with their “UPS Store”: they added the capability to provide 3D prints in many locations, to combine with their existing ability to perform 2D printing, shipping and packing. More than likely TNT Germany will be doing something similar, but in this case the 3D printing will be provided by trinkcle 3D.
We haven’t seen details of how this arrangement will work for customers, but we speculate it involves a web-based interface where TNT Germany customers can upload their 3D model to have it processed by trinkcle 3D and shipped to them by TNT.
Could this be an increasingly common partnership? Will all shipping companies eventually hook up with a 3D print partner?
It’s possible. Companies like Staples, Fedex, Kinkos and others have realized there is profit to be made by collecting together commonly used business services, creating a kind of “one stop location” for clients to get all their needs fulfilled.
What we find interesting is that deals like TNT’s begin to confirm the notion that 3D printing is in fact slowly becoming a commonly used business service, deserving of the same level of attention as photocopying and shipping.
Via trinckle 3D
