Stratasys – The Company’s Evolution to One of the Global Players in the 3D Printing

One of the big players in the world of additive manufacturing repositions itself with an all-new image and logo.

Stratasys presents itself in a completely new look. The characteristic orange colour has disappeared from all communication channels and the familiar blue of the former corporate lettering now forms a more minimalistic logo: the letter S in various shades of blue.

Sharon Steinhoff Smith, Vice President marketing Communications at Stratasys states:

“We are part of a dynamically changing industry, and our customers need to know they are working with the trusted leader in 3D printing and additive manufacturing. Our new brand descriptor, ‘The 3D Printing Solutions Company’ reflects that focus. Stratasys has grown and transformed over the past few years, and we now offer a full ecosystem of 3D printing solutions – solutions that put our customer at the center of what we do. Our brand messaging reflects that. And our fresh new visual identity represents our drive for innovation to move the industry forward.”

But why has the company undergone, from a marketing perspective of view, difficult brand image makeover?

To me this is obvious: Over the last years Stratasys has developed from a manufacturer of hardware and materials to a completely new organisation. In order to better understand the situation, we take you on a journey into the past:

Stratasys was founded in 1989 by husband and wife Scott and Lisa Crump in the US state of Minnesota. In October 1994, the company went public and purchased IBM’s rapid prototyping intellectual property, similar to their patented FDM technology.

In 2011, manufacturer Solidscape, a developer of 3D printers producing wax models for investment casting, had been acquired.
Stratasys merged with the Objet Ltd., an Israel-based manufacturer of 3D printers using PolyJet technology, in April 2012. Today, the PolyJet additive manufacturing technology can work with a range of more than 100 different digital materials. This allows for 3D printing objects featuring a variety of materials with different properties and colours. The merger of the two companies had been competed by the end of 2012 and their new logo was unveiled shortly after.

With the acquisition of MakerBot in 2013, the company continued to expand its 3D printer portfolio; this time into the segment of consumer 3D printing.

When taking over US-based service providers Solid Concepts and Harvest Technologies about one and a half years ago, Stratasys adopted a completely new course, not only offering hardware and materials, but also services to their clients. This same year, the platform GrabCAD with over 1.5 Million users at that time, was acquired. The platform allows for sharing 3D models and designs with other users such as engineers and designers, offering a professional alternative to MakerBot’s Thingiverse.

The new Stratasys with its redesigned visual identity combines all that into a single, complete package. MakerBot, Solidscape and GrabCAD will keep their brand names, while the acquired service providers collectively operate under “Stratasys – Direct Manufacturing”. Moreover, the slogan “for a 3D World” is no longer part of their identity and was changed to “The 3D Printing Solutions Company”. Taking into account all the stages Stratasys has undergone throughout the company’s history, the change to its new logo does not come as a surprise. However, why the company has not given a public statement on their new visual corporate identity is a bit of a mystery to us.