Most Chinese 3D printing companies are struggling to survive
August 20, 2013 Leave a comment
3D printing technology deemed unprofitable in China
Staff Reporter
2013-08-20
The hype surrounding 3D printing technology has created market uncertainty in China as unauthorized copies of Western printers have flooded the market. The industry’s progress is being hampered by is its unclear positioning and low product quality. As a result, the Shanghai-based National Business Daily found that most domestic 3D printing companies were struggling to survive.An international IT industry expo kicked off in Guangzhou on Aug. 15 in which local 3D printing technology was showcased with two new 3D printers drawing heavy visitor attention.
Yet precious few individuals in the industry have an in-depth understanding of how the technology works. At an IT summit held in Shenzhen in March, only a handful of senior managers out of over 100 participants were able to share their knowledge about 3D printing.
Deng Yixiang, general manager of DNS Power, told reporters that most manufacturers had merely produced 3D printers without ample understanding of market demand. When a new product was manufactured it failed quickly because it failed to meet consumers’ expectations.
China’s 3D printing technology has primarily been copied from abroad through reverse engineering, say insiders. If fake machines were poor quality they could be sold at lower prices, but the money producers made barely covered the cost of manufacturing. As a result of poor product performance and a lack of understanding about market demand, the number of surviving 3D printer makers has been dwindling. Should producers learn to create value and meet market demands, the losses can be reversed.
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