Atome3D on Scaling Up and the Evolution of the 3D Printing Market

Among the French distributors that have managed to make their mark on the 3D printing market in recent years is Atome3D.com. Since its creation in 2016, the company, which is based in the suburbs of Toulouse, has continued to grow by diversifying its portfolio, integrating ever more popular brands but also by widely deploying its presence on digital. What are the keys to success? Who are the company’s customers? To learn more about Atome3D’s development strategy, we asked Benoît Michaut, its founder and CEO, some questions.

3DN: How is Atome3D positioned in the 3D printing market today?

Benoit Michaut, the founder of Atome3D

Since our creation in 2016, we have been committed to sharing our knowledge to advance 3D printing technology. We want to enable people of all backgrounds to unleash their creativity and turn their ideas into reality. In this field, we have become a key player. We have gone through many trials to reach our different goals but it has always been important for us to remain flexible and reactive to adapt to the latest market trends.

Through the support of 30,000 customers, Atome3D.com is positioned as one of the French leaders in the distribution and integration of desktop 3D printers & scanners. We offer a range of more than 3,500 brands in our portfolio, with something for budgets ranging from less than €200 to €60,000 in order to meet the needs of our large customer portfolio.

Our success is largely due to the quality of our integrated customer service and our control of the entire supply chain, which enables us to ensure deliveries within 24/48 hours. It is therefore thanks to our extensive offerings and our technical and logistical know-how that we are taking part in the deployment of 3D printing in France and the rest of Europe.

Our primary target remains B2B, we help companies of all sizes in the integration of additive manufacturing and 3D scanning, with the objective of internalizing them within their design and manufacturing processes. It is always cheaper and faster to equip and train than to outsource. In addition, the company acquires new skills that will enhance its value to its customers and partners. Companies have everything to gain by internalizing these technologies.

Also, we know that each of our professionals is also a private individual once they go home. So we also wanted to find products for the general public which are accessible to them as well.

3DN: How are you scaling up in order to meet growing demand?

For our customers, we want to think bigger and bigger! Thanks to the trust they give us every day, we will start our third move to offer the largest logistic platform dedicated to 3D printers and desktop 3D scanners in France. Our new headquarters has been designed by Atome3D for Atome3D, it will offer us a surface of more than 1,500 m2 on the ground, tripling our current surface. It will be more modern, better equipped and ideally located, on the scale of a European company.

Ultimately, this move will enable us to provide a better quality of service to our customers and to provide better working conditions for our logistics teams, with larger storage areas, larger reception and shipping areas, and more fluid circulation. The objective is also to improve the quality of life of our employees with a redesigned social room, more meeting and exchange spaces, and an office layout halfway between open space and partitioned.

More globally, in order to ensure a perfect service, Atome3D recruits exclusively full time employees and this since the first day. We are now about 20 employees and we will be 30 by the end of 2022. Today, Atome3D is the number 1 in France for customer satisfaction with a rating of 9.8/10 (source Avis-vérifiés). We have succeeded in meeting these numerous challenges by internalizing all the company’s activities, from logistics to web development, including human resources, accounting, consulting, customer support, after-sales service and marketing.

Finally, the quality of life at work is a major issue for us. In this context, our teams are fortunate to have a Happiness Officer. She plays a very important role in all the company’s entities, ensuring that employees are fulfilled in their work.

3DN: Can you tell us a bit more about Atome3D’s brand portfolio as well as how it is organized?

Our catalog is relatively large and varied, both on 3D printers and 3D scanners, without forgetting the DIY and hobby category to meet the different needs of our B2B and B2C customers. Regarding 3D printers, the brands Raise3D, Zortrax, Phrozen, Snapmaker or Modix offer high-end printers for our professional customers. We also distribute consumer brands such as Creality, Anycubic and Artillery which offer more affordable products. Concerning 3D scanners, we sell Einscan products from Shining3D as well as solutions from Peel3D.

For the materials part, we wanted to offer the largest French catalog. We offer more than 50 brands in order to meet all application needs: basic materials such as PLA or PETG, but also more technical materials such as ESD, PEEK, PEI and/or Carbon, Kevlar or glass fiber. Our customers must be able to find what they need on a single platform.

Atome3D.com today holds more than 3 500 references: 3D printers, 3D scanners, materials…

3DN: How has the 3D printing market evolved in recent months?

The health crisis was the opportunity for professionals and individuals to identify the most solid partners. Atome3D is one of the few suppliers able to meet the demand, and a fortiori at the worst moment of the crisis. This period has been lived as a real “stress test”, unexpected and very violent, and has shown that we were able to take without difficulty the increase in load while continuing to ship every day.

The sanitary crisis was the opportunity for professionals and individuals to identify the most solid partners. Atome3D is one of the few suppliers able to meet the demand, notably at the peak of the crisis. This period has been lived as a real “stress test” and has shown that we were able to handle the increase in load without difficulty while still continuing to ship every day.

In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, the world suddenly needed innovative solutions to face various shortages in an urgent manner. In this context, 3D printing has proven its value and gained popularity in recent months. The industry had no choice but to turn to this technology in order to meet the various needs. Much more flexible than conventional manufacturing, 3D technology is of great importance not only in times of pandemic, but also in the future. Atome3D was and will always be there!

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