How MakerOS Helps 3D Printing Service Providers Attract and Retain Clients

Service providers play an important role in the additive manufacturing market. EY’s 2019 study on the state of 3D printing (3D printing: hype or game changer?) reported that there had been a significant increase in the percentage of companies using AM service providers to design and produce their parts: tripling to 26% from 2016 to 2019, and expected to reach 32% in 2022. Organisations collaborate with service providers for three main reasons, EY explains. When asked, around 80% predicted that they would work with service providers in the future to avoid investing in in-house equipment, especially for low-volume production. Additionally, access to a service provider usually means access to various technologies at once. Finally, many online service providers are able to produce locally, thus are closer to end customers. With this knowledge in mind, what makes a 3D printing service competitive in this field? In other words, how can providers retain clients that are looking to get their parts produced?

As we all know, more demand also means more competition, which is why the startup MakerOS developed a collaboration platform to allow 3D printing service providers and other fabrication companies to work in the best possible way with their clients. In 2015, MakerOS launched an online space that finally allowed employees and clients to communicate, submit projects, view updates, access files, invoices, and more, all under one secure dashboard: improving client workflows and increasing companies’ profits. So, the key to running a successful 3D printing service in the long-run? MakerOS answers: retaining clients.

Project Board View

MakerOS provides a variety of tools including the Autoquoter, Projects Board, Product and Inventory Manager, 3D File Viewer, Client Portal and more in its online solution. For the purpose of this article, we will focus on two specific tools.