Eindhoven, The Netherlands – Shapeways, a leader in digital manufacturing, is making a comeback in the global market with a new management team, a sustainable business model, and a renewed focus on customer satisfaction.
After its initial launch in 2008, Shapeways underwent significant changes in structure and business model under previous leadership. These changes eventually led to bankruptcy in July 2024. However, the profitable Eindhoven factory’s management team has joined forces with two of the original founders of Shapeways, who have been out of the business for over a decade, to turn the company around.
The new management team has successfully acquired all available assets from the Dutch and American trustees handling the bankruptcy of Shapeways Inc. and Shapeways BV. This includes ownership of the Shapeways name, website, and original production facility in Eindhoven. Shapeways will utilize its software, hardware, design, and engineering capabilities to be a leading digital manufacturing engine for its customers.
The new Shapeways management team consists of CEO Marleen Vogelaar, who co-founded Shapeways in 2007 and left in 2014, former COO/CFO; COO Jules Witte, who joined Shapeways in 2012 and remains with the company, former Plant Manager; CTO Robert Schouwenburg, who co-founded Shapeways in 2007 and left in 2012, former CTO; Plant Manager Job van de Laar, who joined in 2019 and remains with the company, and Head of Engineering Tiago São José, who joined in 2012 and remains with the company.
New CEO Marleen Vogelaar explains, “When I helped launch Shapeways in 2008, it was at the forefront of democratizing access to digital manufacturing. The new management team believes that there is a ‘next chapter’ to be written in the Shapeways story, one that involves learning from the past and building a pragmatic, financially sustainable, and operationally stable company that continues to provide exceptional service to our users.”
Shapeways, currently operating from its original location in Eindhoven, The Netherlands, has an international team and will continue to expand its resources and footprint to be a digital manufacturing engine for its global customer base.
COO Jules Witte adds, “Our belief in Shapeways has driven us to continue this journey. The acquisition of the Shapeways brand marks a significant milestone on that journey, but it doesn’t signal the end. In fact, we are excited about the opportunities that lie ahead for Shapeways, our customers, and their customers. We have a long way to go, but we retain our core ability to produce high-quality parts to meet the needs of our diverse customer base.”
Key points:
– Shapeways is now under new management, consisting of the Eindhoven-based Shapeways BV team and two original co-founders.
– Shapeways will continue to offer a wide range of 3D printing technologies and a variety of materials and post-processing options, with standard and custom quality control choices.
– While the marketplace and shops cannot be restarted due to data lost during the bankruptcy and unusable infrastructure, solutions for the community are currently being explored.
– User intellectual property, such as model data, was owned by the users and not the defunct entity. The new management team has purchased all available intellectual property owned by the defunct entity but has not obtained or accessed user-owned IP, as the trustee could not sell it to any new owner.
– All Manuevo accounts and model data will be accessible through www.shapeways.com moving forward.
Further details can be found in the FAQ document here.
About Shapeways:
Shapeways is the world’s leading platform offering programmatic solutions for diverse manufacturing industries. Using regional and agile digital manufacturing technologies, Shapeways helps its customers bring small to medium volume production-grade parts and products to market quickly and effectively manage them throughout their entire lifecycle. The company aims to be a key partner in its clients’ sustainable and resilient supply chain, driving their success, innovation, and economic growth.
Shapeways offers 12 additive manufacturing technologies and a wide range of materials and finishes to customers, including engineers and large enterprises in sectors such as automotive, aerospace, architecture, medical technology, and semiconductors. The company operates according to ISO:9001, IATF 16949, and ISO 14001 standards.
For more information, please visit the FAQs and www.shapeways.com.
Press Contact:
James Woodcock
press@shapeways.com
Distributed by https://pressat.co.uk/
