nScrypt Expands 3D Printing Presence in Asia Thanks to Distribution Agreement

3D printing and biomanufacturing systems developer nScrypt announced a far-reaching collaboration with the South Korean company ANI Motion, which is slated to produce and sell nScrypt’s products targeting the Asian market.

This new collaboration will allow nScrypt to expand its presence and reach a wider customer base across Asia. On August 25, 2020, the company reported it signed a distribution and original equipment manufacturer (OEM) agreement with ANI Motion for the exclusive right to sell nScrypt’s high-precision 3D manufacturing and biomanufacturing systems in Korea and nonexclusive sales rights throughout the remainder of Asia. ANI Motion will manufacture the systems using tool heads provided by nScrypt and manufactured at the company’s headquarters in Orlando, Florida.

Through the new business alliance, nScrypt will provide its SmartPump microdispensing tool head, material extrusion tool head, milling/drilling/polishing tool head, and pick and place tool head, which ANI Motion will integrate into high-precision motion platforms built by the South Korean company according to nScrypt’s specifications.

When it comes to advancing its technology, nScrypt and its research arm, Sciperio, have undertaken several strategic partnerships over the years. For instance, in a quest to manufacture human tissue in space, nScrypt and Techshot collaborated to create a 3D bioprinting system for microgravity, as well as partnering with several companies to revolutionize military trauma care. nScrypt’s products are widely used by the military, academic and research institutes, government agencies and national labs, and private companies.

“We are excited about partnering with ANI Motion for distribution and manufacturing in Asia. We are confident that ANI Motion has a similar vision as nScrypt: high-precision digital manufacturing using our 3D manufacturing systems, which can make products, not just parts, like fully functioning electronic devices,” said Ken Church, CEO of nScrypt. “We expect this arrangement substantially to expand our footprint in Asia and to help move both companies and the digital manufacturing industry to the next level.”

ANI Motion will integrate nScrypt tools to its high precision platforms to build nScrypt systems in Korea. (Image courtesy of ANI Motion/ nScrypt)

With this new deal, nScrypt can help reduce time and cost to market of their machines for the Asian marketplace. If anything, the current COVID-19 outbreak proved that supply chain management is crucial for faster production cycles. By signing an OEM deal to manufacture its machines in Asia, nScrypt will be able to take advantage of ANI Motion’s expertise in supplying high-precision products within the local market.

As one of the five affiliates of the INA group, ANI Motion was established in 2007 as a joint venture company to introduce Aerotech’s advanced technology products in motion control, positioning, and automation systems to the Korean market. The Seoul-based company supplies all Aerotech technology and products as well as its own high-precision laser micromachining, developed at its factory in Incheon, a South Korean city bordering the capital of Seoul. Like nScrypt, ANI Motion manufactures house-designed equipment, such as its UV laser drilling and cutting systems, and makes other types of equipment as an OEM, for example, automatic optic inspection systems.

ANI Motion headquarters in Seoul, South Korea. (Image courtesy of INA Group)

The South Korean economy, known for conglomerates like Samsung and Hyundai, is the twelfth largest economy in the world, and the fourth-largest economy in Asia, with a great potential for growth as purchasing power and consumption continue to increase. As for the 3D printing market in Korea, it is expected to grow to about $870 million by 2023, with an annual CAGR of 21.5%. According to Korean expert Inbo Song, the country has more than 351 3D printing companies and 67% of them were start-ups that had been established within the last nine years, showing a rapidly growing industry and potential market for companies like nScrypt. With Korea’s rising growth comes a greater demand for 3D printing and bioprinting systems. This recently signed deal means that nScrypt will be able to utilize ANI Motion’s global network of established manufacturing facilities and distribution channels.

“I feel really lucky to start a collaborative business relationship with nScrypt, which has full and world-top level of technology and product supply capacity in the field of high-precision micro-dispensing, 3D Manufacturing, and biomanufacturing equipment,” indicated ANI Motion’s CEO, Tony Shin. “Making the best use of our business networks in Korea and many Asian countries we have built so far and our technical skills and manufacturing and supply capacity of high-precision micro-processing laser machine we developed ourselves, we are confident that both companies will definitely make successful accomplishments before long.”

These types of strategies prove critical for future growth as businesses prepare for the “new normal” following COVID-19, looking beyond immediate business continuity or liquidity issues caused by the pandemic.