AddUp to acquire majority stake in Poly-Shape
September 17, 2018
Metal additively manufactured parts produced by Poly-Shape (Courtesy Poly-Shape)
Metal Additive Manufacturing machine and systems manufacturer AddUp, Clermont‐Ferrand, France, a joint venture of Fives and Michelin, has announced a project to acquire a majority stake in Poly‐Shape, a company offering design and production services for metal AM parts.
Since its formation in 2007, Poly-Shape has developed a widely-recognised expertise in fields such as tooling, aeronautics, the medical and energy sectors, and most significantly in motorsports, working with a large number of Formula 1 teams. The company has a global service offering for the AM of parts, including support through the design and the optimisation of parts to finishing operations, and operates a range of machines in four facilities: Salon‐de‐Provence, Saint‐Pierre‐du‐Perray and Le Coudray‐Montceaux in France, and a facility in Carpi, Italy, also integrating post‐treatment equipment.
The acquisition of a majority stake in Poly‐Shape is expected to enable AddUp to expand its portfolio of applications and to strengthen its offering to the automotive industry. Vincent Ferreiro, AddUp’s CEO, stated, “The proven know‐how in the production of parts, in particular in the motorsports field, will help us improve our support to original equipment manufacturers, and demonstrate the benefits and capacities of 3D printing, especially for top‐of‐the‐range vehicles.”
In addition, AddUp expects that the acquisition will enable it to reinforce its support capabilities in assessing the opportunities offered by AM through its AddUpThink and AddUpStart services, with the integration of expanded production capacity for proof-of-concept parts including post‐treatment and additional finishing. Using the technology housed in Poly-Shape’s facilities, AddUp will have the ability to offer its customers access to a multi‐supplier, multi‐technology, multi‐material and multi‐application test platform.
Stéphane Abed, Chairman of Poly‐Shape, commented, “AddUp and Poly‐Shape share the same vision regarding the evolution of the world of 3D printing and the same passion for innovation. Poly‐Shape will benefit from AddUp’s proven expertise in the industrialisation and management of machines as well as a reinforced access to the world of motorsports thanks to Michelin’s worldwide reputation.”
“AddUp will bring additional resources to Poly‐Shape so that it can continue its development both in France and abroad. AddUp’s entry into Poly‐Shape’s capital is a recognition of the expertise and work carried out by the teams during these last few years,” added Philippe Veran, Chairman of Upperside and a founding shareholder of Poly‐Shape.
“I have been happy to accompany Poly‐Shape’s wonderful teams since 2007 and to have participated in the evolution of a company with a recognised know‐how. AddUp’s investment into the capital represents a true opportunity for Poly‐Shape and its employees to continue its development and growth.”
Readers can learn more about Poly-Shape and its development of metal AM for high-performance motorsports in the Summer 2018 edition of Metal Additive Manufacturing magazine, available to read for free online or as a PDF download.
