MakerBot and Stratasys Join Hands to Strengthen Market Presence in Asia Pacific

BROOKLYN, New York and Hong Kong, June 9, 2015 /PRNewswire/ — MakerBot, a global leader in the desktop 3D printing industry, and Stratasys AP Ltd, a subsidiary of MakerBot’s parent company Stratasys Ltd. (Nasdaq: SSYS), a leading global provider of 3D printing and additive manufacturing solutions, today announced the strengthening of MakerBot market presence in Asia Pacific, through MakerBot Asia Pacific & Japan (MakerBot APJ), a new MakerBot division to capture the growth potential of desktop 3D printers and scanners in the region. Stratasys has a strong presence in the region and MakerBot APJ aims to leverage on the existing Stratasys infrastructure to strengthen its local operations and expand availability of its products. MakerBot APJ will continue to support the existing MakerBot network of distributor and reseller partners in Asia Pacific.

“Asia is an important market for desktop 3D printing with great opportunities in verticals that are a strategic priority for MakerBot such as education, engineering and design. Stratasys has the local expertise, infrastructure and customer relationships that we believe will help us expand our presence in the region,” commented Jonathan Jaglom, CEO of MakerBot. “This is another step in our efforts to take advantage of synergies with Stratasys to grow our business internationally and accelerate the adoption of desktop 3D printing around the world.”

Stratasys has 10 regional offices to serve its customers in Asia Pacific, including the Asia Pacific headquarters in Hong Kong and presences in Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen, Tokyo, Osaka, Seoul, Busan, Singapore and Bangalore. These Stratasys offices will support MakerBot’s local business operations with marketing, sales and customer support initiatives. MakerBot APJ will be led by Shiry Saar, who has been appointed General Manager and is based in Stratasys’ Asian headquarters in Hong Kong, operating under Stratasys AP Ltd. Saar had served in several management roles at Stratasys previously.

“I am excited to lead MakerBot APJ to facilitate the adoption of MakerBot 3D Printers in the region,” said Shiry Saar, General Manager of MakerBot APJ. “MakerBot and Stratasys both cater to the education and professional verticals and I believe that our collaboration will allow us to better serve these customers with a comprehensive product portfolio. I look forward to working closely with Stratasys’ local teams to extend MakerBot’s leading role in the desktop 3D printing industry to the Asia Pacific region.”

“We believe that MakerBot APJ will allow us to achieve synergy and better serve our customers in the region,” Omer Krieger, General Manager of Stratasys Asia Pacific, commented.  “There is a strong strategic alignment between Stratasys and MakerBot, and the addition of MakerBot is expected to add significant scale and capabilities to our 3D printing solutions business.”

MakerBot was founded in 2009 and was one of the first companies to make 3D printing accessible and affordable. MakerBot is a pioneer and global leader in this market and offers a comprehensive 3D ecosystem that empowers designers, educators, engineers and consumers to be creative and innovate. The MakerBot 3D Ecosystem makes 3D printing easy and accessible for everyone by combining hardware, software, apps like MakerBot PrintShop™ and MakerBot Mobile, materials and Thingiverse, the world’s largest online community for 3D printing.