Wohlers Associates - Example Consulting Projects

Consulting Projects

Wohlers Associates has completed many consulting projects over the company's 25-year history. The work has involved more than 170 client organizations in 23 countries around the world.

The company has provided organizations of many types and sizes consulting advice on wide-ranging issues associated with rapid product development and additive manufacturing. It has dealt with equipment purchases, hidden costs, what works and what does not, and growth trends and forecasts. Wohlers Associates has also focused on acquisitions, partnerships, product positioning, competitive issues, investment, whether to enter a particular market segment, and serving as an expert witness in litigation.

The following are example projects.

New Developments and Trends

Produced an additive manufacturing technology roadmap for a country in the Asia/Pacific region.
Reviewed the current market and competition for a major European producer of materials for additive manufacturing.
Helped a Japanese company understand recent developments and trends in prototyping and tooling.
Organized an annual series of international conferences on additive manufacturing for a German organization.

Expert Witness

Provided assistance to a large U.S. manufacturer of consumer products involved with litigation. The company received a favorable settlement before going to trial.
Assisted a U.S. company involved with patent litigation.

Investment

Provided consulting assistance to more than 50 companies in the investment community over a period of several years. Most are institutional investors that represent mutual funds, hedge funds, and private equity.
Assisted venture capital firms with investments in technology companies.

Technology Acquisition

Researched the licensing of a tooling process for a large manufacturer of consumer products.
Explored technology acquisition options for a manufacturer of additive manufacturing systems.
Researched acquisition candidates for an established prototyping service provider in central Europe.

New Product Introduction

Collected information and helped develop a business strategy for a materials company in Europe.
Reviewed a new additive manufacturing system in Asia and provided input on how the company might develop, market, and position the system.
Conducted a market analysis for a new additive manufacturing material for a company in Europe.
Provided strategic advice to the top management of a company that offers CNC machines, 3D scanners, and related products.
Evaluated the commercial potential of a rapid tooling technology for a manufacturing company.
Helped a Japanese company expand into markets outside of Japan.
Evaluated a European company's products and helped plan a new product family and marketing strategy.

Prototyping and Tooling Processes

Evaluated approaches to tooling for manufacturers of surgical instruments and mobile phones.
Recommended options for prototyping and tooling to a manufacturer of bar code printers.
Explored options associated with entering the additive manufacturing industry for a large manufacturer of computer products and services.
Evaluated tooling options for a major manufacturer of mobile phones in Europe.

Process Automation

Developed a laser scanning solution for a manufacturer of custom-fit in-the-ear hearing aids and explored options for additive manufacturing.
Identified 3D design and CNC machining software for a manufacturer of footwear and other products in Brazil.
Tested new approaches to 3D modeling, prototyping, and reverse engineering for a government agency.

Client List

Wohlers Associates places the highest degree of importance on honesty, integrity, and customer satisfaction, and the company seeks to exceed expectations. All clients are references.

Wohlers Associates counts among its clients the following organizations.

3D Scanning and Reverse Engineering
      CGI
      Digibotics
      FARO Technologies
      Idiotic
      EOIS
      Imageware
      InnovMetric Software (Canada)
      Ultimetrics, Ltd.
      VX Technologies (Canada)

Chemicals and Materials
      BASF
DuPont
Evonik (Germany)
      Huntsman (Switzerland)
      UCB Chemicals (Belgium)
      Valspar (Switzerland)

Computers and Business Machines
      Apple Inc.
      CalComp
      Compaq
      Cognitive
      Hewlett-Packard

Consumer Products
      Ericsson (Sweden)
      Imaginary Design
      Irwin Industrial (Brazil)
      Nike
      Nokia (Finland)
      Procter & Gamble
      Sigma Innovation (Sweden)

Events and Publications
      Ariel Communications
      Communication Technologies
      ConnectPress
      DEMAT GmbH (Germany)
      Euro-Team (England)
      Expoconsul International
      Glencoe/McGraw-Hill
      Marcus Evans (Malaysia)
      MCB University Press (England)
McGraw-Hill Higher Education
Microcentrum (Holland)
      Miller Freeman
      MoldMaking Expo
      Orthoworld
      Penton Media
      PennWell
      Rapid News Publications (England)
      Sterling Publications (England)
      Ziff Davis

Government
      City of Loveland, Colorado
Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation-CSIRO (Australia)
      Council for Scientific and Industrial Research-CSIR (South Africa)
Industrial Technology Centre (Canada)
      Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
      National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
      National Science Foundation (NSF)
  Oak Ridge National Laboratory
      Sandia National Laboratories
      Swedish Institute of Production Engineering Research (Sweden)
      U.S. Department of Energy
      U.S. Department of Defense
White House Office of Science and Technology Policy

Industrial Products, Machinery, and Aerospace
      ABB (Finland)
      Belcan Corp.
      Dicon (Denmark)
      Deere & Company
      Dover Corp.
EADS/Airbus (Germany)
      Exide Electronics
      Honeywell
      Hughes Christensen
      ITS Machinery (Israel)
      National Bearings Company
      United Technologies

Investment and Financial
     Advent International
      Bares Capital Management
      Champlain Investment Partners
      Chilton Investment Company
      Coleman Research Group
      Daruma Asset
      Dominion Capital Management
      Downtown Associates
      Fidelity Investments
      Friess Associates
      Gerson Lehrman Group
      Guidepoint Global
      Lord Abbett
      M.H. Meyerson & Co.
      MFS Investment Management
      North Coast, LLC
      Primary Global Research
      River Cities Capital Funds
      SITRA (Finland)
      TDA Capital Partners
      Telantis Research
      The Monitor Company Group
      Vista Research

Medical and Dental
      Align Technology (Invisalign)
      Dentsply
      Planmeca (Finland)
      Scott Laboratories
      Starkey Labs
      Sulzer Carbomedics

Professional Societies and Associations
      American Mold Builders Association
      Finnish Rapid Prototyping Association (Finland)
      French Rapid Prototyping Association (France)
      Institution of Mechanical Engineers (England)
      Japanese Society of Die and Mold Technology (Japan)
      National Computer Graphics Association
      Rapid Forming Technology Committee of the Chinese
          Mechanical Engineering Society (China)
      Rapid Product Development Association of South Africa (South Africa)
      Society of Manufacturing Engineers
      Toy Manufacturers of America
      3D Systems North American Stereolithography Users Group
      Vocational Industrial Clubs of America

Rapid Product Development and Additive Manufacturing
      Alphaform AG (Germany)
Anubis Manufacturing Consultants (Canada)
      BMP Technology
      Cubital (Israel)
      Desktop Factory
      DTM Corp.
      Ellison Group
      EOS (Germany)
      Ex One
Fabrisonic
      Formero (Australia)
      INCS Inc. (Japan)
      Materialise (Belgium)
      Micromod (Israel)
      Objet Geometries (Israel)
      Opacity
Phillips Plastics Corp.
      Primary Systems
      Progressive Components
      Proto Labs
      Roland DGA
      Schneider Prototyping (Germany)
      Solidica
      Solido (Israel)
      Stratasys
2Phase Technologies
      3D Systems
        Thogus Products
      Vantus Technology Corp.
      Waikato Innovation Park (New Zealand)
      Z Corporation

Research and Academia
      Asnuntuck Community College
Auckland University of Technology (New Zealand)
      Bergen County Technical Schools
      Central University of Technology, Free State (South Africa)
      Colorado State University
Connecticut Communitiy Colleges
      Fraunhofer Society (Germany)
      Georgia Institute of Technology
      Helsinki University of Technology (Finland)
        Loughborough University (England)
National Center for Rapid Technologies
      National University of Singapore (Singapore)
      Milwaukee School of Engineering
Polytechnic Institute of Leiria (Portugal)
RMIT University (Australia)
      Saddleback College
Southeastern Institute of Manufacturing & Technology
      Tennessee Tech University
      Tsinghua University (China)
      University of Dayton
      University of Maribor (Slovenia)
      University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee
Vaal University of Technology (South Africa)

Software and Internet Services
      Autodesk
      Auto-Trol Technology
      CyberPro Engineering
      Computervision
      DeskArtes (Finland)
      Master Graphics
      Materialise (Belgium)
      Micro-Vector
      Muse Technologies Inc.
      Intergraph
      PlanetCAD
      Precision Visuals
      Spatial
      Versacad Corp.