FIT Additive Manufacturing Group establishes Japanese subsidiary FIT Japan
June 29, 2018
FIT Additive Manufacturing Group, headquartered in Lupburg, Germany, has entered the Japanese Additive Manufacturing market with the establishment of a new fully-owned subsidiary, FIT Japan K.K., in Nagoya. The company will bring to the Japanese market more than twenty years of experience in AM, and offers a broad range of AM technologies and an in-depth knowledge of production processes.
FIT stated that it has identified a wide range of opportunities in the country for the AM industry, attributed in part to increasing demand from major car manufacturers, who are said to consider AM as a motivating force to strengthen their market leadership. Demand was also identified in the healthcare and architectural industries, among others.
Carl Fruth, CEO at FIT Additive Manufacturing Group, explained, “Step by step, we will evolve from a foreign contract manufacturer to an insider in the Japanese innovation system. To this goal, we have established a Japanese subsidiary to serve as a direct interface for our ADM [Additive, Design and Manufacturing] services to the market and to introduce us to important Japanese customers. Starting from a position as a global technology leader, we intend to open up the Japanese as well as the Asian markets and to consolidate business in the long run.”
FIT Japan will be led by Yasushi Murata, who is said to bring to the company thirty years of experience in Japanese industry, primarily in the automotive sector. Speaking on his appointment, Murata stated, “When learning about FIT AG and its ADM concept for the first time, I was immediately intrigued by its potential. I’m overjoyed to empower Japanese companies with FIT’s expertise. I’m not exaggerating… I’m convinced that FIT AG can act as a game-changer for the Japanese productive industry of today.”