Xaar PLC has announced its investment with Stratasys, a global leader in additive manufacturing, to form, Xaar 3D Limited. The alliance aims to develop 3D printing solutions based on High Speed Sintering technologies. The new, Xaar 3D Ltd will leverage Xaar’s High Speed Sintering technology and industrial piezo inkjet printheads, and the commercial and market expertise of Stratasys.
Xaar will hold 85% of Xaar 3D Ltd shares with Stratasys holding 15%. In addition, Stratasys has the option to increase its ownership in Xaar 3D Ltd to a total of 30%. Xaar 3D Ltd will hold all of Xaar’s High Speed Sintering assets. Furthermore, Doug Edwards, Xaar CEO, will be the new chairman of Xaar 3D Ltd
Edwards shared, “We are delighted to launch our partnership with Stratasys. This joint investment in the development of 3D printing technologies reinforces the value created by our R&D. And it continues our plan to diversify Xaar’s business. We are also pleased to be working alongside a leader in the 3D printing space, who recognises the value of Xaar’s technology and expertise.”
According to Scott Crump, chief innovation officer, Stratasys, “We are impressed with the Xaar team’s achievements to date. We believe that the complementary assets of Stratasys and Xaar will enable Xaar 3D Ltd to develop solutions that further address customers’ additive manufacturing requirements for a broader range of production applications.”
2023 promises an interesting ride for print in India
Indian Printer and Publisher founded in 1979 is the oldest B2B trade publication in the multi-platform and
multi-channel IPPGroup. While the print and packaging industries have been resilient in the past 33 months since the pandemic lockdown of 25 March 2020, the commercial printing and newspaper industries have yet to recover their pre-Covid trajectory.
The fragmented commercial printing industry faces substantial challenges as does the newspaper industry.
While digital short-run printing and the signage industry seem to be recovering a bit faster, ultimately
their growth will also be moderated by the progress of the overall economy. On the other hand book
printing exports are doing well but they too face several supply-chain and logistics challenges.
The price of publication papers including newsprint has been high in the past year while availability is diminished by several mills shutting down their publication paper and newsprint machines in the past four years. Indian paper mills are also exporting many types of paper and have raised prices for Indian printers. To some extent, this has helped in the recovery of the digital printing industry with its on-demand short-run and low-wastage paradigm.
Ultimately digital print and other digital channels will help print grow in a country where we are still far behind in our paper and print consumption and where digital is a leapfrog technology that will only increase the demand for print in the foreseeable future. For instance, there is no alternative to a rise in textbook consumption but this segment will only reach normality in the next financial year beginning on 1 April 2023.
Thus while the new normal is a moving target and many commercial printers look to diversification, we believe that our target audiences may shift and change. Like them, we will also have to adapt with agility to keep up with their business and technical information needs.
Our 2023 media kit is ready, and it is the right time to take stock and reconnect with your potential markets and customers. Print is the glue for the growth of liberal education, new industry, and an emerging economy. We seek your participation in what promises to be an interesting ride.
