Big news came at the beginning of September when GE announced that they had made an offer to purchase two leading companies in the metal additive manufacturing world: Arcam AB and SLM Solutions. While the offer to Arcam was set to expire on October 14, it has since been extended until November 1, giving the Swedish company additional time to deliberate. Comments made by Arcam CEO Magnus René indicate that the company is seriously considering the offer, but nothing is set in stone yet, particularly with the extension and the recent news that Elliott Management, a significant stakeholder in both Arcam and SLM Solutions, has announced a move to reject terms in at least the case of SLM.
While Arcam and its shareholders decide whether to join GE, their Canadian subsidiary, Advanced Powders & Coatings (AP&C), is making some significant moves itself. AP&C, which develops and manufactures metal powders for additive manufacturing, has been chalking up some significant milestones over the past year, filing patents for new materials at the end of 2015 and announcing the appointment of longtime GE executive Alain Dupont as President in January. Now the company is about to grow a lot bigger with the addition of a second powder manufacturing plant to accommodate the increasing demand for their products.
“The need for high-end titanium powder is driven by the fast growth and adoption of additive manufacturing,” said René. “Arcam is determined to serve the industry through cost-efficient solutions, thus converting traditional manufacturing into additive manufacturing. A requisite is to offer the highest quality powder for production at a competitive cost.”
Construction on the new plant, which will be based in Saint-Eustache, Quebec, broke ground in a ceremony led by Dupont and attended by ministers and representatives from the municipality and from the additive manufacturing industry. AP&C plans to invest up to $31 million CAD in the new facility, backed by Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions, Montreal International, Investissement Quebec, and the Quebec Ministry of Economy, Science and Innovation. The new plant is expected to create 106 new jobs over the next three years.
“This investment makes it possible to provide our existing and future clients with superior quality powders to meet the high manufacturing standards of the aerospace and orthopedic industries,” said Dupont. “With this new powder production facility and advances in atomization technology, AP&C will significantly increase capacity. Without the involvement of both the federal and provincial governments, our project would have been difficult to carry through at this speed. Our points of contact were receptive to our needs, and showed keen knowledge of the issues and challenges facing our industry.”
The new plant is expected to create 106 new jobs over the next three years, more than doubling AP&C’s current staff of 85. As the metal additive manufacturing industry continues to grow, AP&C stands out for their Advanced Plasma Atomization technology, which produces high quality, extremely pure atomized metal powders. AP&C’s main plant is also based in Quebec. Discuss in the AP&C forum at 3DPB.com.
[Source: Plastics Today]
