Europac 3D targets consumer market for growth
A 3D scanning and printing company that has been in business for more than 20 years is eyeing a host of exciting new growth opportunities as it turns its laser technology to the consumer market for the first time.
Crewe-based Europac 3D is behind a new service being offered by Asda, which allows customers to have their full bodies 3D scanned in a booth instore, resulting in scaled 3D replica figurines being produced.
The booths are currently in 10 Asda stores across the UK and Walmart has also just started a trial in the US.
“It is in its infancy but it is expanding. It takes a long time to take it to retail. We have done 5,000 models of people and expect to do 40,000 by next year but it could be more,” says managing director John Beckett.
The company, which employs 20 staff and has a turnover of £4m, started by using laser technology for engineering and has worked with Formula One teams – where it laser prints parts in steel to be fitted onto the car and has been involved with design work for Aston Martin.
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“We have been involved with state-of-the-art engineering for a long time, using very precise laser measuring technology in engineering and business to business. The consumer facing side is new but we have not left behind what we have always done with business.
“The move into body scanning takes the business into a new market. We are combining the two because the underlying technology is the same,” says Beckett.
Europac 3D expects its foray into the consumer sector to open seemingly endless new opportunities – the main problem is deciding which to focus on first.
“We scan a body and print these models but when we scan we create a very accurate model of you – it is your body passport. Once we’ve taken that we can have your avatar dancing around for example. If you had to have prosthetics or reconstruction, we could help with that,” says Beckett giving just one example of the possibilities being explored.
There are also licensing opportunities, with figurines made of people cuddling Shaun the Sheep, or beside Wallace and Gromitt – the company already has an agreement in place with Aardman.
Other applications include a fashion app allowing users to ‘dress themselves’ on their tablet or computer – something Beckett says could result in huge cost saving for the fashion industry, which struggles to keep the costs of returns from online sales to a minimum.
He adds that networks are being created through the British Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (BVCA) to put those companies and people together.
The company has so far achieved all this without investment, but Beckett feels the predicted goal of a turnover of £7m by 2017 could be doubled with additional financial support.
“At the moment we are doing it ourselves,” he says. “There are business opportunities that would allow us to grow faster if we had the investment.”
