Innovate & Create in 3D: La Poste Group & Cults3D Create Unique Platform at French Postal 3D Printing Hubs

La Poste Group and Cults3D are partnering up to offer users a unique new platform, ‘Innovate and Create in 3D.’ While that may sound pretty basic, it is actually a unique and comprehensive service offered by La Poste, the main postal service for France, as they are launching 3D printing services in seven of their postal offices. With that offering, La Poste Group wants to make sure that customers come not only to 3D print–but that they know how to do it–and do it well. Not only are they strengthening their own position in 3D printing, but they are seeing to it that their customers have the necessary strength in that area as well.

The new ‘Innovate and Create in 3D’ site serves to garner enthusiasm in new users as they see the wide range of 3D models that can be created. The site displays a variety of creations from designers around the world and allows for a comprehensive display of all that can be achieved. Many users are novices as well as professionals, and the site highlights projects geared toward everything from home goods to toys–to architectural models–as they target their typical customer base.

La Poste Group is obviously very serious about taking care of and educating the customers who will be visiting their hubs. Along with allowing users access to 3D printing, they will even be offering the opportunity for help, as customers can simply click a button and then ask advice from ‘3D Advisors of La Poste.’ Not only that–they can actually meet with the advisors at their nearest post office for further help onsite. The advisors are actual postal workers who double as specialists in 3D design and 3D printing.

This system offers a foolproof way for everyone to meet their 3D printing needs, learn a lot along the way–and ultimately, have fun while creating. Knowing that there is someone to answer their questions goes a long way in coaxing newcomers into trying the new technology where previously they may have balked at the idea, considering it simply too unknown.

Both Cults3D and the 3D Slash startup were responsible for offering the support to bring ‘Innovate and Create in 3D’ to fruition as a functioning site that will offer La Poste Group customers so much inspiration and help in the future. We’ve covered both startups before, familiar with Cults3D as an online design platform and marketplace with a strong social network and community of designers, and 3D Slash, as an innovative French company known for their easy-to-use modeling tools, which was a strength here as their 3DSlash online software allows the customers to learn about 3D modeling, create their own, then send it directly from the site to 3D Advisors for ordering of the 3D print.

In this project both Cults3D and 3D Slash worked together under Start’inPost, which is an industrial accelerator associated with La Poste Group. Offering the site as a creative space for their customers, La Poste and all involved have designed it, according to a recent press release, to be compatible for all platforms such as tablets, smartphones, and computers–available in both French and English. They state that it will be continuously connected to the Cults marketplace, as their customers will be able to use both platforms upon creating site registrations.

La Poste offers a unique corporate model, structured around Services-Mail-Parcels, La Banque Postale, The Network La Poste, GeoPost, and Digital Services. They operate in 40 countries on 4 continents. Each day, La Poste’s 17,000 retail outlets make it France’s leading local distribution network, serving 1.7 million customers daily.