Netherlands-based desktop 3D printing company Ultimaker has announced a change in executive structure.
The popular company has been paving the way for more reliable desktop 3D printing for years now. Their strategies have been working, as Ultimaker has been seeing significant growth — including in an overall turbulent 2020. They recently reported, in fact, that gains this year were not just in spite of, but because of the pandemic:
“In the first six months of the year, Ultimaker experienced double-digit growth year-over-year globally, including over 30% growth in the US alone. This was due in part to disruption in manufacturing from the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in a paradigm shift in the global supply chain. Localized manufacturing, reduced downtime and cost reduction have become priorities which coincided with the heightened awareness of professional 3D printing and its impact on productivity.”
Ultimaker Portfolio
Today, Ultimaker 3D printers are considered among the most reliable desktop systems in the 3D printing industry.
The current 3D printer portfolio includes:
They offer a full range of 3D printing materials, from basic PLA to advanced engineering-grade materials to ESD safe, recycled, and more options. A major focus has also been on building print profiles to ensure appropriate print parameters.
On the software side, Ultimaker offers the popular and often-updated Ultimaker Cura, as well as the more recently introduced subscription-based Ultimaker Essentials.
Ultimaker Leadership
Leading the way at Ultimaker for five years now has been Jos Burger.
Burger joined the company in 2014, stepping up to the CEO role the next year. During his tenure, Ultimaker geared up for the transformation from startup to a major player on the global stage. According to CONTEXT, which includes Ultimaker’s systems in their Professional category of 3D printers, demand in work-from-home usage drove Ultimaker to a leading market share in that segment — an impressive 40% of Professional hardware revenues for the first half of 2020. Overall in 3D printer hardware, CONTEXT ranks Ultimaker at the #2 position. Considering that ranking is based on hardware shipment revenues, that’s rather impressive for a desktop-focused company.
“I’m tremendously proud of everything we achieved at Ultimaker in a short period of time. The transformation from a start-up to a company that now shapes how companies produce and manufacture is phenomenal,” said Burger.
Now, though, it’s time to pass the reins. Burger continued:
“The last seven years have been intense, and given my age, it’s now time to retire from the CEO role. All the building blocks that will sustain future growth are there, and now it’s the best moment to hand over to Jürgen. Ultimaker continues to have a unique space in my heart, and I’m thrilled with the opportunity to serve on the Supervisory Board.”
Effective January 1, 2021, Burger will move over to his new role on the Supervisory Board. That day, the new CEO will begin his tenure: enter Jürgen von Hollen.
“Jos is leaving a great legacy behind, and now it is the right time to take advantage of what Jos has built and accelerate the company further. We are excited to have Jürgen as our new leader, and he is perfectly suited to take Ultimaker to new heights,” said Bart Markus, Chairman of the Supervisory Board.
Jürgen von Hollen joins the Ultimaker team following previous roles in tech leadership. Most recently, he was at Universal Robots, serving as the President and CEO.
You might remember Universal Robots’ UR10 robotic arm, which contributed to the extreme automation at Voodoo Manufacturing circa 2017. (RIP Voodoo Manufacturing, 2020.) Universal Robots is now a leading player in the cobots (collaborative robots) game — a positioning attained during von Hollen’s leadership.
Universal Robots presents his bio, for further background, as:
“Jürgen von Hollen is President at Universal Robots and is responsible for leading Universal Robots through a period of explosive growth, driving the adoption of easy to use, safe, and economical cobots across the globe. Jürgen von Hollen has extensive international experience living and working in 8 different countries across Europe, America, Asia and Africa. He joined Universal Robots in 2016, previously having been the Executive President of the Engineering Solutions Division which includes the Automation and Controls business of Bilfinger SE, in Mannheim, Germany, a leading international Engineering and Services company. In his role at Bilfinger, he was responsible for a global staff of nearly 10,000 and annual sales in excess of €1billion. Jürgen von Hollen began his career with Daimler-Benz Aerospace and held senior management roles at Daimler-Chrysler Services, Deutsche Telecom and Pentair.”
And in a month, von Hollen takes on his next journey. Ultimaker is already well-positioned as a global leader, which the incoming CEO seems to intend as a starting step for further growth.
Of his new position, the new CEO explains:
“I am very excited to be joining the Ultimaker team, who has developed a leading product, strong business model and has a very talented team. I believe this uniquely positions Ultimaker to take full advantage of a USD 35 billion 3D printing market and outgrow this market, which itself is expected to grow at 20% per annum. Ultimaker has the ability to enable dynamic innovation, flexible manufacturing and delivers great productivity improvements. Together, we want to transform organizations and Ultimaker is in a great position to grow as the leader.”
Via Ultimaker
