Stratasys Japan Co., Ltd.

Stratasys was founded in the US state of Minnesota in 1989. After the merger with Objet, a leading company in the same industry in Israel in 2012, the Japanese subsidiary of Objet changed its name to Stratasys Japan in July 2012. Stratasys is now leading the 3D printer market as the world’s largest 3D printer manufacturer. The company’s decision to enter the Japanese market was not only because Japan was Stratasys’ second largest market after the United States, but also because they reasoned the market would allow them to grow through collaboration with Japanese companies. In Asia, the Chinese 3D printer market has been expanding rapidly in recent years and gaining significance. However, Stratasys believes that Japan continues to be the most important country in the region.

Although Stratasys Japan’s sales have been flat since 2016, President Katayama remains positive. “The reason for the flat sales is that 3D printers are in a transitional stage toward being used for direct digital manufacturing (DDM). 3D printers have mainly been used to make prototypes in the manufacturing industry so far, but now they have started to be used to create jigs and parts for product manufacturing or end products. If this trend continues, they will eventually be used for mass production, resulting in a spike in the use of 3D printing,” he explains.

Stratasys recently transferred a member of the R&D group in Israel to Japan for two main objectives. One is to collect requests from existing users in Japan to make proposals to the US and Israeli headquarters on improving the 3D printing technology. The other is to evaluate Japanese companies’ technologies. Since the arrival of the staff member, negotiations on technical partnerships with several major Japanese companies have been underway. Fields for collaboration range widely from sensors and LEDs to materials and energy-conservation. Stratasys is considering establishing an R&D center in Japan in the near future to further promote these activities.

The president expresses his hope, saying: “Stratasys has been collaborating with overseas companies such as Siemens, Ford, Boeing and McLaren but is also hoping to jointly develop products with Japanese companies, who are inherently very cooperative and keen on creating new value for society through joint projects. We want to team up with such companies.”

Stratasys has been strengthening its cooperation with “fab spaces” (fabrication facilities), which help people build their own products, and educational institutions to raise awareness and knowledge of 3D printers in Japan. Several universities, including Nihon University and Tama Art University, are already in partnership with the company, having introduced 3D printers into the classroom. Stratasys aims to expose students to the potential of 3D printing while they are still young, and expects that they will take advantage of 3D printers when they become engineers. The company also hopes that the students themselves will become a driving force for creating new 3D applications and services.

Stratasys sees that in addition to automotive and aerospace industries where 3D printing technology is currently most used, 3D printer markets in the medical, dental, art and entertainment fields have significant capacity for expansion.

3D printers are now used even in remote areas with logistical challenges, such as in Africa and onboard ships. The most extreme example would be use in space. 3D printers are already installed in the International Space Station.

“In science fiction movies, we see people living on Mars and their houses look as if they are made of metal. But in fact, it is not realistic to send building materials and parts by spacecraft from Earth. We have to make them with what exists in space. Currently, China and Russia, not to mention NASA, are conducting research on 3D printers that can produce parts with materials available in space,” explains Mr. Katayama.

Stratasys has been receiving detailed information on the Japanese government’s subsidies for R&D and IoT from JETRO for their business expansion in Japan. The company has also been taking advantage of support from JETRO such as the provision of information on potential partners. Stratasys plans to seek further help from JETRO for their future developments in Japan, especially for establishment of their R&D facility.

(Interviewed in June 2017)