Print giant Xerox has confirmed it’s scaling back its Elem Additive 3D business and is now "solely focused on supporting current 3D installations." Elem Additive has begun laying off workers, according to US reports.
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| ElemX 3D printer in operation at the US Naval Postgraduate School |
Xerox moved into metal 3D printing in 2019 with the acquisition of New York-based start-up Vader Systems - creator of the first liquid metal 3-D printer for manufacturing, which became the basis of the Elem X system.
“The additive manufacturing (AM) industry has seen a number of companies contract as the larger economy struggles,” said an article by Michael Molitch-Hou on US website 3DPrint. “This has included firms like Desktop Metal, Fast Radius, Nexa3D, and others. The latest is photocopier pioneer Xerox (Nasdaq: XRX), which has sought to revitalize its business by venturing into AM with an ambitious acquisition that led to the deployment of a unique, new metal 3D printer dubbed Elem X.
“Now, like its colleagues in the space, Xerox, too, is performing layoffs in its additive division. Employees on LinkedIn have posted about their need to find new work after being let go from the company’s nascent 3D printing business. Elem Additive general manager Tali Rosman also left the company.”
A Xerox spokesperson confirmed: “On September 30, Xerox scaled back its Elem Additive 3D business and is now solely focused on supporting current installations.
“As outlined at our Investor Day event earlier this year, the innovation studio model we have established enables us to quickly determine which businesses we continue moving forward with and which we scale down. This was a difficult, but necessary, decision. We are working to minimize the impact to the affected individuals and will provide transition assistance for those impacted.”
Elem Additive isn’t the only business division that Xerox could be shedding, according to the report: “In 2021, Xerox created a joint venture with the state government of Victoria in Australia. Called Eloque, the business was focused on installing sensors in bridges for remote monitoring with the goal of repairing them and maintaining their longevity. A rushed commercialization process saw Eloque’s product brought to market before it was ready, ultimately leading to the venture’s collapse.” The Victorian government ended the partnership last month after spending $16m on the project.
Possible buyers of Xerox’s 3D printing division could include HP, which last month announced the commercial availability of its Metal Jet S100 3D Solution.
