Wintermans takes control of 3D metal printing company itself
Shareholder Jonas Wintermans takes over the leadership of Additive Industries himself. The Eindhoven-based producer of 3D metal printers also announces the development of a new model for much larger volumes on Friday.
3 mei 2021
Wintermans will succeed Daan Kersten as the company's top executive, who suddenly left the company in June. The two of them were the driving force behind the development of the revolutionary fully automatic metal printer in 2012. Kersten took on the role of CEO, while Wintermans faded into the background.
Size of components quintupled
He is now taking the helm himself in a crucial phase for the company. Meanwhile, competitors are active and Additive Industries must maintain its leading position. An important step was announced yesterday with the development of a new model metal printing system. This would increase the maximum size of the parts to be printed fivefold. Instead of 42x42x40 centimeters, it could be scaled up to 60x60x100 centimeters. The company expects to present its new flagship by the end of 2021.
"The larger volume opens doors to more applications and higher productivity for customers," Wintermans states in a written statement. Such a printer for heavier tasks sets high demands. According to the company, the machine will have to be 'maximally robust' to be able to work continuously for several days.
For airplanes and Formula 1.
Among the customers of Additive Industries are aircraft manufacturer Airbus and car manufacturers BMW and Volkswagen. Also, an unnamed American aerospace company and Formula 1 team Alfa Romeo Racing are clients. The Wintermans family has been a shareholder since the establishment. After the departure of CEO Kersten, the family, under the umbrella of investment company Highlands Beheer, took over his shareholding. Apart from a small stake held by employees, the family has been the sole owner since then. Highlands Beheer reportedly invests 28 million euros in Additive Industries this year.
Highlands Beheer owns two technology companies in addition to Additive Industries, NTS (systems for high-tech machine construction) and ATD Machinery (machines for the cigar industry). The Wintermans family was also the owner of the cigar manufacturer Agio until 2019.