Industrial 3D Manufacturing is Here: HP’s New Head of 3D Printing for Asia-Pacific and Japan Details Multi Jet Fusion Global Expansion

Rob Mesaros

Earlier this week, HP Inc. announced its latest global move with the new Lanwan Intelligence – HP Multi Jet Fusion Technology Mass Manufacturing Center in Dali, Foshan in Guangdong Province. Opened through a partnership with Guangdong (Dali) 3D Printing Collaborative Innovation Platform, the new 3D printing center is home to 10 Jet Fusion 3D printing systems, housing HP technology exclusively. The center is targeting production-grade applications at scale for automotive, consumer goods, and other verticals.

As their technology continues to grow as leading industrial 3D printing offering, HP recognizes that business strategy is best propelled by a best-fit team — and with the company’s disruptive ambitions, that team represents a critical aspect of strategy. With Multi Jet Fusion 3D printing technology advancing with rising installations around the world, we have been keeping up with the team at the heart of the growth.

Rob Mesaros is HP’s new Head of 3D Printing for Asia-Pacific and Japan, building upon his strong foundation of experiences with both HP and that region of the world. He was on-site at this past weekend’s opening of the new 3D printing center, and has thoughtfully provided us exclusive insights into what this move means for HP.

Stephen Nigro, President of 3D Printing, HP (left) with Rob Mesaros, Head of 3D Printing for Asia-Pacific and Japan, at the new 3D printing center in China

I appreciated the opportunity to hear directly from Mesaros with his perspective into HP’s offerings and strategies.

You just assumed a new position at HP as Head of 3D Printing for Asia-Pacific and Japan. What do you think has prepared you for this role?

“For starters, I’m a 12-year veteran at HP. Of course 3D printing wasn’t yet part of the plan when I started, but it’s another extension of HP’s spirit of reinvention, market disruption, and making life better for everyone that goes back to the company’s founding days. Most recently, I headed HP’s business in Australia & New Zealand as the Managing Director, and I’ve also served in various other roles in Hong Kong and Singapore, so I’ve had a rarified view into Asia’s many industries and cultures. One thing I’ve gained from that experience is the ability to see how important Asia will be to the growth of 3D manufacturing worldwide, which is among the main reasons why I jumped at the opportunity.”

What is it about Asia-Pacific in particular that’s unique in the global manufacturing system?

“Well, it’s the largest manufacturing market in the world by a considerable margin. China alone represents nearly half of the $12 trillion global manufacturing industry, as well as the world’s 2nd largest economy, which continues to surge. By those merits alone, the manufacturing market for the region is primed for a digital transformation that has already occurred in other major industries like finance and communications, but China is also the world-leader in chemicals development and manufacturing, and strong partnerships with global materials leaders to is at the crux of HP’s 3D printing partner ecosystem. No one company can drive change of this magnitude alone, it’s going to take a truly global village.”

HP just launched the first large-scale 3D manufacturing facility in Asia with China’s Guangdong (Dali) 3D Printing Collaborative Innovation Platform. What makes HP’s Multi Jet Fusion the right 3D printing technology for this new type of 3D factory?

“What makes Multi Jet Fusion right for this center, or any large manufacturing facility, is that we’ve cracked the code for large-scale digital production with incredibly advanced 3D printing technology, lower production costs, greater speed and reliability, dramatically less waste, voxel-level design and production control, and a collaborative 3D partner ecosystem – all of which are driving a new world of previously-impossible applications that are transforming major industries. We’re particularly excited to be launching this 3D factory of the future with Guangdong (Dali) 3D Printing Collaborative Innovation Platform in the world’s largest manufacturing market.”

How does this installation showcase HP’s global commitment to 3D printing / what message does this send to the industry?

“The main message is that industrial 3D manufacturing is here. It’s no longer a wishful notion. Companies like Guangdong (Dali) 3D Printing Collaborative Innovation Platform are providing large-scale, end-to-end 3D manufacturing right now with growing frequency. We’re seeing both new and existing customers increasingly make additional volume orders of HP Jet Fusion printers, as many as 16 at a time, to enable industrial-scale 3D manufacturing to meet growing demand.”

How will China figure in to HP’s global plans?

“China is already a central part of our global growth. China’s ‘Made in China 2025’ plan will be a tipping point for 3D printing technology’s adoption in this region. We are excited about the opportunity to contribute to this national initiative, as we continue to help local manufacturers deliver cost-effective and production-grade parts to accelerate their innovations more quickly and effectively. Our goal is to continue to drive full-production 3D printing since we introduced Multi Jet Fusion in Greater China last June with global leaders like Sinopec Yanshan Petrochemical Company joining our collaborative 3D Open Materials Platform, as well as a host of new partner-driven 3D printing facilities and HP 3D Printing Reference and Experience Centers across Beijing, Taipei, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Nanjing, Shanghai, and a growing number of other municipalities.”

What can we expect to hear come out of China with this center?

“We expect to see this center contribute greatly to the growth of industrial 3D manufacturing that’s been accelerating across China, and around the world. Specifically, we’re excited to watch the digital transformation of leading local industries in the Greater Bay Area of Southern China like automotive, consumer goods and motorcycles that will now be enabled by new, production-grade 3D applications at major scale.”

HP has not been playing its cards close to the vest in terms of broad ambition: the company means to use its 3D printing capabilities to disrupt the $12 trillion global manufacturing industry. With this goal in mind, HP has continued to pave its own way forward with Multi Jet Fusion 3D printing, including the full-color prototyping capabilities unveiled earlier this year and the promise of a metal system to come. Dedicated installation bases around the world, including the world’s major economies and manufacturing hubs, showcase the follow-through necessary for any great plan.

Multi Jet Fusion was announced only a few years ago, with its first installations in late 2016; with the speed of development possible through additive manufacturing and the swift progress of this new industrial technology suite, HP is proving to be both bullish and full-speed-ahead in fulfilling its ambitious intentions.

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