3D Systems - Growth

Growth

In late 2009, 3D Systems began an acquisitions binge that has expanded the company's technology in the form of access and ownership to collections of engineers, designers, software, materials, printers and printable content. The rate of 3D Systems' acquisitions (16 in 2011) has raised some eyebrows with regard to the task facing 3D Systems' management team. Other onlookers point to the encompassing scope of the acquisitions to indicate calculated steps by 3D Systems to consolidate the 3D printing industry under one roof and logo to become a comprehensive one-stop-shop capable of servicing each link in the scan/create-to-print chain.

3D Systems now employs over 1000 people in 25 offices worldwide. Through its acquisitions, 3D Systems has achieved a strong and growing presence in Asia-Pacific (China, Korea, Japan) and Europe (France, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, the United Kingdom), in addition to expanding its brand of print materials, printers, industrial and professional CAD software, on-demand custom parts services, data capture and scanning technologies, and customizable, ready-to-print consumer collections. 3D Systems' corporate statements indicate the company's desire to facilitate user creation and "remove expert/user friction between content creation and print."

In May of 2011, 3D Systems transferred from NASDAQ (TDSC) to the New York Stock Exchange (DDD). Company stock has risen with general consistency since its entry to the exchange, as have company revenues and profits. In 2012, a Gray Wolf Report predicted 3D Systems' rate of growth to be unsustainable, pointing to inflated impressions from acquisitions as a corporate misstatement of organic growth. 3D Systems responded to this article on November 19, 2012, claiming it to "contain materially false statements and erroneous conclusions that we believe defamed the company and its reputation and resulted in losses to our shareholders." One offending article was removed as a result. Sequential increases in earnings from actual sales and steady climbs in stock price per share provide reasonable cause for skepticism towards this report.