3D打印巨头遭遇倒春寒

作为3D打印领域的两大行业巨头，Stratasys和3D Systems公司上季度的收入都有所下降。这昭示出一丝前景黯淡的意味。2012年到2014年生机勃勃的景象，似乎已成为一去不复返的历史尘埃。

尽管人们对3D打印行业的整体预期依旧乐观——到2020年，其市场规模预计将高达170亿美元，但Stratasys和3D Systems2016年的日子可能很难熬。两家公司都表示将削减成本，以应对严峻的挑战。

首先是，潜在客户开始减缓购买3D打印技术的步伐。高盛公司的分析师最近在研究报告中指出，这一趋势“更像是行业大势，而不是仅限于某些公司”。与此同时，3D打印厂商正在面临新来者，尤其是惠普公司的激烈竞争。该公司有望在明年开始供应自己的3D打印机。

奥本海默公司分析师霍尔登•路易斯表示：“两家大公司一直在不断投资，自以为会保持线性增长。现在他们失去了这种势头，猛然发现自己的摊子铺得太大了。”

那么，3D Systems和Stratasys是否到了开始裁员的时候了？从第三季度的收益电话会议来看，答案是肯定的。

“我们会在新产品上继续投资，同时会坚定地优化成本结构，更好地配置资源来把握短期机遇。”3D Systems公司财务总监大卫•斯图卡表示，这些坚定的举措“包括进一步整合工厂，精简人员。”

3D Systems计划在2016年年中关闭一家位于马萨诸塞州安多弗的工厂，这是该公司整合生产与研发计划的一部分。在回复给《财富》杂志的邮件中，3D Systems发言人表示，公司已经“提出将安多弗工厂的大量员工调往其他工厂”，但在安多弗工厂的80-120名员工中，究竟有多少将被辞退，目前尚不明确。

在Stratasys公司的收益电话会议上，首席执行官大卫•赖斯也透露了类似的观点。他表示公司将设法调整“成本和运营结构”。当然，Stratasys的子公司，位于布鲁克林的桌面3D打印机厂商MakerBot，从今年4月开始已经进行了两轮裁员。

3D打印设备和软件厂商仍然难以找到产品的买家。这项技术在使用上仍然过于复杂，难以成为主流。“现在越来越清楚的是，这些机器难以使用。这会影响人们的购买意愿。”路易斯表示。

通用电气等公司在部分业务中已经采用了3D打印技术，如生产客机发动机部件的通用电气航空集团。该公司新型Leap引擎的燃油喷嘴就是完全用3D打印技术生产的。

3D打印技术能够颠覆制造业的地方在于，它可以在工厂中批量生产部件，而不仅仅是偶尔制作一个原型，后者是目前的主流方式。然而，这种愿景尚未实现。

路易斯表示：“从长远来看，这些机器拥有光明的前景。增材制造（additive manufacturing）可以实现很多减材制造（subtractive manufacturing）做不到的事情。随着时间的推移，它们会被广泛采用的。不过，这还需要付出巨大的努力。”（财富中文网）

译者：严匡正

审校：任文科

3D printing companies Stratasys and 3D Systems painted a bleak picture about their businesses earlier lastmonth by reporting declining revenue in the latest quarter. It was a dramatic about-face compared to the buzz around the two giants from 2012 to 2014.

Even as projections about the overall 3D printing remain bright—it’s expected to be a $17 billion marketby the end of this decade—the next year will likely be a rough one forStratasys and 3D Systems. Both have promised to cut expenses while dealing with the serious challenges.

Potential customers are slowing their buying of 3D printing technology, a trend that Goldman Sachs analysts recently described in a note to investors as being “likely industry-wide more than company specific.” Meanwhile, makers of 3D printing technology are facing increased competition as newcomers enter the field, most notably HP Inc, which is expected to start shipping its own line of 3D printers next year.

“The two major companies, they wound up investing under the premise that growth was going to be fairly linear to the upside,” says Oppenheimer analyst Holden Lewis. “And when, at this point, that growth has stalled out, they find themselves largely overbuilt.”

Is it time to expect layoffs at 3D Systems and Stratasys? Judging from their recent third quarter calls with investors, the answer is yes.

“While we are continuing investments in new products … we are taking decisive steps to further reduce our cost structure and better prioritize our resources around near-term opportunities,” said David Styka, the chief financial and accounting officer at 3D Systems. And what are those steps? “These measures include additional facility consolidations and headcount reductions,” he added.

By mid-2016, 3D Systems plans to complete a phased closure of its facility in Andover, Mass., which is one part of the company’s effort to consolidate its manufacturing with its research and development. In an email to Fortune, a 3D Systems spokesman said the company has “offered to relocate many of our Andover-based employees to other facilities,” but how many of those workers will be laid off outright—the Andover facility employs 80 to 120—is unclear.

Stratasys CEO David Reis shared similar sentiments during his company’s earnings call, saying Stratasys would look to make adjustments in its “cost and operating structure.” Of course, Stratasys subsidiary MakerBot, the Brooklyn-based manufacturer of desktop 3D printers, has already weathered two rounds of layoffs since April.