The Körber Group invests in BigRep

  • Körber invests in the Berlin technology start-up BigRep as part of the current B-financing round
  • Körber is the perfect strategic partner for BigRep

Just only over three years after the founding, the Berlin technology start-up BigRep wins the international technology company Körber AG as a further investor in its current B-financing round. The partnership was officially announced today.

For BigRep, manufacturer of the world's largest 3-D printer and supplier of additive manufacturing systems, this is an important next step in their growth. "Through this additional investment in our company, we are able to further expand the development and solutions as well as increase our global footprint and sales," says René Gurka, CEO of BigRep. "Körber is a very experienced technology company that can support us not only financially, but also in industrial machine building. We are looking forward to working with our new colleagues. "

At Körber, too, all signs point to growth. The strategic investments of the Group are focused on future technologies and markets. "Since its founding 2014, BigRep has developed into a competitive, steadily growing company with more than 70 employees and offices in the US and Asia," said Michael Horn, member of Körber AG's Board of Management. "In addition to our existing know-how, we want to explore the possibilities of additive manufacturing even more intensively through our joint venture with the IRPD through our participation in BigRep. In addition, we will use these competencies within our business areas for further customer applications development."

In addition to kloeckner.v, the Venture Capital Subsidiary of Klöckner & Co SE, Körber AG is the second investor to participate in the current financing round.

About BigRep:

BigRep is a technology start-up based in Berlin with offices in New York and Singapore, which develops and manufactures the world's largest 3-D printer. One of the groundbreaking developments of the company founded in 2014 is the BigRep ONE, which is supplemented by the smaller BigRep STUDIO. Interdisciplinarity and well-founded experience in the field of additive manufacturing characterize the multi-national team of BigRep, now more than 70 employees. In addition to new products, the Berlin company is now concentrating on complete solutions for industrial customers in the form of integrated additive manufacturing systems. One example is the TNO project, which is scheduled to be released in Summer 2018. The goal of the highly innovative engineering company is to revolutionize design, prototyping and industrial production from the ground up. Over the next five years, BigRep intends to become a leading supplier of additive manufacturing systems.

About Körber:

Körber is an international technology group with around 11,500 employees worldwide. It brings together technologically leading companies with more than 130 production, service and sales companies. At locations around the world, Körber combines the advantages of a globally present organization with the strengths of highly specialized and flexible medium-sized companies that offer their customers solutions, products and services in the fields of automation, logistics systems, machine tools, pharmaceutical systems and tissue, Tobacco and business interests. The Körber Group generated sales of EUR 2.2 billion in the 2016 financial year.

About Klöckner & Co:

Klöckner & Co is one of the largest producer-independent distributors of steel and metal products and one of the leading steel service center companies worldwide. Based on its distribution and service network of around 170 locations in 12 countries, the Group supplies more than 130,000 customers. In addition to companies in the construction industry as well as machinery and mechanical engineering, Klöckner & Co serves customers in the automotive and chemical industry, in shipbuilding and in fields of household appliances, consumer goods and energy. Currently Klöckner & Co has around 8,700 employees. The Group had sales of around €5.7 billion in fiscal 2016.

The shares of Klöckner & Co SE are admitted to trading on the regulated market segment (Regulierter Markt) of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (Frankfurter Wertpapierbörse) with further post-admission obligations (Prime Standard). Klöckner & Co shares are listed in the SDAX®-Index of Deutsche Börse.
ISIN: DE000KC01000; WKN: KC0100; Common Code: 025808576.

For further information as well as pictures and video material please contact:

Maik Dobberack
PR & Communication
BigRep GmbH
T +49 (0) 30 208 4826-38
E [email protected]

Contact Körber AG:

Henriette Viebig
Head of Corporate Communications
Körber AG
T +49 40 21107-422
E [email protected]

Contact Klöckner & Co SE:

Christian Pokropp
Head of Corporate Communications
Klöckner & Co SE
T + 49 (0) 203-307-2050
E [email protected]

BigRep wins Ex-Stratasys 3D Printing Expert Moshe Aknin as CTO

  • Ex Stratasys Director Moshe Aknin named new Chief Technology Officer at BigRep GmbH
  • CEO René Gurka sets the course for the strategic development of BigRep

BigRep, The Berlin technology start-up for the world's largest, standard 3-D printers and suppliers of additive manufacturing systems, recruited Moshe Aknin as the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) for BigRep with immediate effect. Together with René Gurka (CEO) and Dr. Stephan Beyer (CFO), Moshe Aknin will complete the management team of BigRep GmbH.

Previously, Moshe worked at Objet in Israel and later Stratasys in the US as Senior Director, Technology Development & Evaluation. Prior to Stratasys, he was with Aeronautics Ltd. as Ground Control Systems Development Manager and head of the mechanical design team. He holds a degree in mechanical engineering and an MBA from the Hebrew University. In addition to numerous new industrial partnerships, Moshe Aknin is now leading a team of around 20 developers in the fields of mechanics, electronics, software and materials at BigRep.

René Gurka, CEO of BigRep GmbH: "We are thrilled to welcome Moshe Aknin to the BigRep family. There is only a handful of candidates with his expertise in additive manufacturing world-wide, and it is a great honor that after many years of working at the market leader Stratasys he has chosen BigRep. Moshe will further accelerate our path to become a global leader of industrial solutions in 3D printing.

“I am delighted to join BigRep as the company’s CTO and drive forward further development of current, as well as future, technologies and products. BigRep’s team is dynamic and enthusiastic about Additive Manufacturing. I am absolutely impressed with BigRep’s customer base and partners, and the huge potential this brings to the future products of the company. I am sure that BigRep’s focus on industrial grade Additive Manufacturing solutions will make it a major player in this market in the coming 5 years.” - said Moshe Aknin.

About BigRep:

BigRep is a technology start-up based in Berlin with offices in New York and Singapore, which develops and manufactures the world's largest 3-D printer. One of the groundbreaking developments of the company founded in 2014 is the BigRep ONE, which is supplemented by the smaller BigRep STUDIO. Interdisciplinarity and well-founded experience in the field of additive manufacturing characterize the multi-national team of BigRep, now more than 60 employees. In addition to new products, the Berlin company is now concentrating on complete solutions for industrial customers in the form of integrated additive manufacturing systems. One example is the TNO project, which is scheduled to be released in Summer 2018. The goal of the highly innovative engineering company is to revolutionize design, prototyping and industrial production from the ground up. Over the next five years, BigRep intends to become a leading supplier of additive manufacturing systems.

For further Information and picture and movie material please contact:

Maik Dobberack
PR & Communication
BigRep GmbH
T +49 (0) 30 208 4826-38
E [email protected]

PRESS RELEASE: Angela Merkel visits BigRep

German Chancellor Angela Merkel standing near the BigRep ONE with a 3D printed stool

Angela Merkel visits BigRep: Chancellor convinced herself of the high performance of large-scale 3D printing solutions by the Berlin-based technology startup during her traditional tour of CeBIT 2016

  • CEO René Gurka: “The 3D printing solutions by BigRep make a decisive contribution to the digitization of the economy.”
  • BigRep is main partner of Bitkom hub@CeBIT

Berlin/Hannover, March 15, 2016. In her traditional tour of CeBIT this year, Chancellor Angela Merkel made a stop today at BigRep, the developer and manufacturer of world’s largest serial 3D printer. René Gurka, the CEO of BigRep, was personally approached by the chancellor, whereby he demonstrated the performance of largeformat 3D printing solutions by the Berlin technology startup, much to Mrs Merkel's delight. In addition to the exclusive presentation of the new, third generation of the BigRep ONE, she also looked at various examples and applications of this breakthrough technology that is defining the industry of tomorrow.

René Gurka, CEO from BigRep states: "We are very proud that we were able to welcome Chancellor Angela Merkel to our stand at CeBIT. She could get an idea of the opportunities and potential offered by large-scale 3D printing with respect to the digitalization of the local economy. Current studies conclude that there is still a great need to catch up on the digitalization and digital transformation of the German economy. Our goal is to enable our 3D printing solutions to address this opportunity and to be a significant contributor. " BigRep is the main partner of Bitkom this year, whose breakthrough changes by digitization under the motto "hub@CeBIT" allow you to become familiar with this technology at their stand. Moreover, companies from different areas, which are excellent examples of the digital transformation, are represented at the Bitkom booth.

We cordially invite you to stop by the Bitkom stand in Hall 4, Stand B72 to get a personal impression of large-scale 3D printing technology and to obtain more information about BigRep - until March 18.

Angela Merkel with a 3D printed part and René Gurka

About BigRep:
BigRep is a Berlin-based tech startup and manufacturer and developer of the world’s largest serial 3D printer. Founded in 2014, the company became the market and technological leader for large-scale serial 3D printing in only 18 months, aiming to revolutionize design, prototyping, and industrial production from the core. Prestigious enterprises and institutions from around the world rely on BigRep’s 3D printing solutions. With a volume of more than 1m³, BigRep ONE is the largest FFF (Fused Filament Fabrication) printer currently available on the world market, thus bridging the gap between 3D printers designed for modelling and industrial use. The BigRep ONE.2 received the German Design Award Gold 2016 by the German Design Council in October 2015. BigRep’s ever-growing team of presently 40 employees from ten nations is passionately committed to working on the next industrial revolution. See a sped-up 3D printing procedure with a BigRep ONE here.

For further information, images, and video footage please contact:
Jasmin Ribouni
Media Relations BigRep GmbH
P +49 30 208 4826-22
E [email protected]

Matthias Grünewald
Press office BigRep c/o public link GmbH
P +49 30 44 31 88 -13
E [email protected]

Download

Press release BigRep EN
Press release BigRep DE

 

Former MakerBot Head of Software Far McKon Joins Berlin-based 3D Printing Pioneer BigRep As New Head of Software

Berlin, January 28, 2016. Renowned American software developer Far McKon is joining Berlin-based tech start-up BigRep, manufacturer and developer of the world’s largest serially available 3D printer. The 38-year old American will join BigRep as new Head of Software effective immediately and will chiefly oversee the future development of the software as well as control electronics for the start-up’s large scale 3D printer BigRep ONE. “We are very proud to be bringing a real original from the US maker and hacker scene to Berlin with Far McKon,“ says BigRep CEO René Gurka. “In his former positions, at MakerBot among others, Far has shown us how to profoundly re-imagine the industry. For BigRep he will now be expanding many of the things he achieved there, only instead of desktop 3D printers he will now be working with BigRep’s large scales.”

Keep reading… (on inside3dp.com)

 

Seven Questions With BigRep CEO René Gurka

Source: Fabbaloo

We spoke with BigRep CEO René Gurka, whose company produces the gigantic BigRep ONE 3D printer, to find out how the company has changed and where it’s headed.

Fabbaloo: BigRep was just a small startup only a few years ago. Now things are a bit different. What happened?

René Gurka: We definitely started at the right time with the right idea. We were THE pioneer for large scale affordable printing at the beginning of 2014 and still are the segment leader in this market today.

Since our launch, we have gone a long way. Six weeks after building the first prototype in January 2014, we took the prototype to the 3D Print Show in New York and people went crazy: We got hundreds of inquiries both from resellers as well as media from all over the world after the show which helped a lot to make BigRep known in the 3D printing community.

But of course, this alone does not make a company successful. After getting all the attention, we had to start building the company. We recruited great people and great investors – all with a background and knowledge in hardware start ups, so we could grow from 3 to 50 people in only 15 months.

I have to say that at BigRep, the execution of creating a prosperous company went very well and I am convinced that the right execution is sometimes more important than the idea itself. Making the right decision is definitely not easy and it will always take a few bad ones to find the right path for you. My tip for founders is: Get help before making too many mistakes in the early days.

Keep reading… (on fabbaloo.com)

 

A Visit to The Lab Where Autodesk Looks for the Spark to Jumpstart 3D Printing

Ever since it was established, Autodesk Spark sparked questions on what its actual goals and practical objectives were.

While in Israel I figured I would take a look for myself at the Autodesk Israel 16th floor office, where most of Spark development is carried out. I met with Eitan Tsarfati, whom I had already the opportunity to meet in Milan a few years ago, during an event I had organized in collaboration with Autodesk Italy for Design Week.

I was very happy to find out that he is now in charge of the 3D Printing Group and Consumer Products at Autodesk Israel, running Autodesk’s most important 3D printing program outside of the main Bay Area offices. Like the Milan one, Autodesk’s offices in Tel Aviv are an amazing place to work. The view from the 16th floor lets you see the entire panorama, all the way to the beach and the old city. Inside the atmosphere is both stylish and casual, with a lot of open spaces which certainly favor creativity and exchanges.

Of course when it comes to hardware it is easier to understand more about it by seeing in person. With software it is a bit more complicated but nevertheless my visit was very useful to understand exactly where Autodesk stands in its quest to create a complete ecosystem for 3D printing.

Keep reading… (on 3dprintingindustry.com)

Berlin Tech Startup BigRep Successfully Closes Series A Financing Round with over €7 Million and Continues Rapid Growth

  • Koehler Invest GmbH and venture capital firm b-to-v join as new investors

  • BigRep is one of Germany’s fastest growing hardware startups

  • BigRep is investing new capital in research and development, expanding its global market leadership, internationalizing and strengthening distribution

Berlin, November 11, 2015. BigRep, developer and manufacturer of the world’s largest serially produced 3D printer, has successfully closed a Series A financing round. The family-run Koehler Paper Group and venture capital firm b-to-v will join existing shareholders such as KFW-Bankengruppe and its ERP-Startfonds, to invest over €7 Million in BigRep GmbH. “We are thrilled to have found further investors with Koehler and b-to-v who appreciate the capacities of our large-scale serial 3D printing solutions and share our vision: as the 21st century’s key industry, 3D printing will substantially change global supply chains and production processes. We will use this fresh capital to further our product development, expand our global market presence, and to internationalize and strengthen our distribution,“ says BigRep CEO René Gurka.

The Koehler Paper Group has been investing in new technologies increasingly via financial involvement with startups in recent years. The industrial enterprise, family-run for eight generations, also plans to participate in the growing market for 3D printing. “We have thoroughly studied the market for 3D printing and are positive that BigRep is one of the best positioned providers in the rapidly growing segment for industrial clients,” Koehler Paper Group CEO Kai Furler states.
With offices in St. Gallen and Berlin, venture capital firm b-to-v is one of the leading networks for entrepreneurial private investors in Europe. Dr. Christian Reitberger, Lead Investor at b-to-v, was previously involved in BigRep’s seed funding as a Business Angel: “BigRep’s aim is to reduce the entry barriers for industrial 3D printing through lower operating costs, establishing a coherent software environment, and smart filament material innovations. BigRep will access new customer groups for additive manufacturing and provide industry insiders with a wider applicability in everyday use, too“.

A Rapidly Growing Market
The market for professional 3D printing has been growing rapidly: the annual growth rate is expected to increase by approx. 20 percent by 2020. Wohlers Report, the industry’s preeminent source, estimated the worldwide market for 3D

printing was worth over US$5 billion in 2015. The competition is relatively small in the segment for large-scale serial 3D printing, particularly cost-efficient 3D printing solutions. This is not the only field where BigRep has succeeded in establishing global market leadership in just 18 months. Thanks to its unique printing volume of over 1m3, which allows for prints 27 times the size provided by customary appliances, as well as its integrated software solutions, the BigRep ONE, which is available already in its third generation, also sets the industry’s technological standard.

About b-to-v:
b-to-v Partners AG is a venture capital company with offices in St. Gallen and Berlin. With around 200 members, it is also one of Europe’s leading networks of private entrepreneurial investors. b-to-v combines the industry expertise and experience of its entrepreneurs with the longstanding venture capital expertise of its in-house team. With this investment approach, b-to-v has set itself the goal of generating sustainable added value for its portfolio companies and investing entrepreneurs. At core, the b-to-v philosophy is all about investing together and a desire to mutually benefit from the financial, content-based and personal support provided from entrepreneur to entrepreneur. So far, b-to-v has invested in Facebook, Xing, Linguee, Qype, and Finanzchec, among others.

About KfW Bankengruppe:
The KfW Group finances and supports, among other things, business startups, small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) as well as investments in economic growth and employment projects in Germany. The ERP Start-up-Fund, administered and co-financed by KfW, offers equity financing for innovative, technology-based enterprises with excellent growth prospects. The fund finances research and product development as well as the launching of new products, procedures and services. KfW always cooperates with a lead investor and exclusively adopts market conditions. Since 2004, the ERP Start-up-Fund has had €720 Mio. at its disposal to support emerging technology-based companies.

BigRep goes gold: German Design Award 2016

A jury of more than 30 experts specializing in various fields of design has decided: BigRep is honored with the German Design Award 2016 for its outstanding achievement in product design. We received the first prize for our success model BigRep ONE.2 and feel honored to top the list of winners in the category “Workshop and Tools”.
The German Design Award is awarded annually by the German Design Council, one of the world’s leading centres of expertise for communication and branding in design. Since 2012 it has been honoring outstanding achievements in product and communication design with the international premium prize. This year, the design contest saw 3,400 submissions in 42 categories and thirty three percent of the submissions came from outside Germany.
“Receiving the German Design Award is a great success for us! We pay great attention to detail in the construction of our 3D printers including their design. This award shows us that functionality and appealing design do not have to exclude one another in industrial production.”
René Gurka, CEO

BigRep and NOWlab

As part of our dedication for design and innovation BigRep has presented at the 3D PRINTSHOW in Berlin the first artist collaboration with NOWlab architects Daniel Büning and Jörg Petri. The project is one of many collaboration with artists, architects and designers that BigRep is developing this year.

The original design is called the „ATLAS” Stool, it is the consequence of a deep admiration of the natural forces that shape the tectonics of mountain chains and their respective valleys and mountain peaks.

In an additive process material is added over time in a layer by layer manner, resulting in different height plateaus that can consist out of multiple matter. Therefore a cross-section of those topographic textures reveals the stratification (layered arrangement) of different materials over time.
The design process of the ATLAS stool is therefore under the explicit consideration and awareness of the above described geological phenomena. The typical layering procedure of the additive manufacturing process is here utilized in combination with a set of different materials to accentuate and underline the distinctiveness of the stools bottom view.

In this design case the typical characteristic of the FFF-manufacturing technology is therefore directly in cooperated into the design philosophy of the piece and underlines the uniqueness of its resulting silhouette.

BigRep teams up with Autodesk’s Spark

For us, the New Year started in Las Vegas. There, on 6 January, the Consumer Electronics Show CES in Las Vegas opened the doors. CES is not only a showcase for gadgets of every kind, from autonomous vehicles to wearable electronics. It´s also increasingly important for 3D printing. We took the opportunity to announce our next important step: BigRep is teaming up with Autodesk´s Spark, an open 3D-printing platform.

Spark is a complete, open and free platform for 3D printing that will connect digital information to 3D printers in a new way. It´s objectives are improving information exchange between design software and the printer, optimizing design before production begins and providing open APIs for a broad group of users to access and innovate the 3D printing pipeline.

We at BigRep are absolutely convinced, that simple 3D-printing just won´t be enough in the near future. Instead, we´ll need a complete ecosystem consisting of full scale printers and a cloud-printing service. Not for much longer, BigRep will be connecting thousands of printers globally enabling truly distributed manufacturing and innovative printable materials for industrial and professional use. Adopting Spark is a first but important step for us to realize this vision.

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