SLM Solutions has changed their name.
The long-time manufacturer of LPBF metal 3D printers for industry has renamed their company as a result of their acquisition by Nikon in 2022.
They explain in a press release:
“After careful consideration and strategic planning, we are excited to announce that we have changed our company name from SLM Solutions NA, Inc. to Nikon SLM Solutions NA, Inc., effective March 31, 2024. This decision was made to better align our brand identity following the merger of our shareholding company Nikon SLM Solutions AG with Nikon Corporation.”
This is not entirely unexpected, as that’s what often happens during acquisitions. Part of the reason for the acquisition is to extend the acquirer’s brand into a new space. That’s what will happen with the new name.
However, changing names is difficult. Not only will the company have to change letterhead, websites, business cards, etc., but the public will have to start using the new nomenclature.
That’s hard — recall the switch from “Twitter” to “X”. Even though that happened a year ago, the system is still almost always referred to as “Twitter”, or at least “formerly Twitter”. People just don’t want to drop the old name.
In 3D print circles, the company was almost universally referred to informally as “SLM”. I suppose it should now be informally referred to as “Nikon”?
Will people do that? I’m pretty sure it’s going to take considerable time for that to happen. By that time it may be that the company even drops the “SLM Solutions” part of the name entirely and just goes with “Nikon AM” or similar.
But they’re going to try. They say:
”We ask you to address from now on all quotes, PO confirmations, and invoices to the new name of our company.”
And that’s what we’re going to do. Nikon SLM Solutions, it is.
