With a prominent stronghold on the East Coast 3D printing scene already, and a major shift of focus towards STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) education, MakerBot seems to have their priorities aligned. Over the summer, they hosted a number of STEAM Makeathons across the United States, starting in New York City and recently wrapping up in Washington, D.C. The desktop 3D printing pioneer has also made major strides on an international level as well, opening their their first MakerBot Innovation Center in the Asia Pacific region, and also providing 50 schools in Estonia with free MakerBot 3D printers.
Although MakerBot has arguably become the premier 3D printer provider for schools in the US, the amount of 3D printers on campuses on the East Coast far outnumber those in the Midwest and on westward. In order to balance the scales a bit, MakerBot has just announced the expansion of their level of sales support and training on the West Coast. This expansion has two main facets that will bring more 3D printers into schools and businesses on the West Coast, including a new West Territory Manager and a MakerBot Demo Center at the Stratasys office in Valencia, California.
“Having a greater local presence in the nation’s most populous state will help us strengthen our relationships with resellers and customers. We’re looking forward to welcoming more of the region’s world class schools into our growing community of educators, and introducing our full set of professional solutions to the region’s designers and engineers,” said MakerBot GM Lauren Goglick.
The ongoing West Coast expansion has been successful due in big part to the complementary sales partnership program, which the two companies announced earlier this year. With this collaboration, MakerBot has benefited greatly from Stratasys’ long-withstanding industry experience and vast global network, and has also helped enhance their quality assurance and product development. They may not be manufacturing in the United States, but MakerBot is certainly still working to place their 3D printers in every school and business across the country. Discuss this latest plan further over in the MakerBot to Expand 3D Printing Sales & Training forum over at 3DPB.com.
[Source: MakerBot]