GKN launches a new 3D printing service, enters new markets, and acquires new customer groups

Written By Ana Martinez

The Client

GKN is a British multinational automotive and aerospace components company.

The Challenge

GKN faced the question of how to deliver metal additive manufacturing technology (also known as 3D printing) successfully to the market.

The Solution

Our team mapped out the startup landscape and identified 3YOURMIND, a leading 3D printing startup. The two companies entered into a partnership and built InstAMetal, a digital platform that enables engineers to order 3D prototypes online simply by uploading a 3D model. 

The Outcome

As a result, GKN is now able to offer a new kind of service and manage an individualized ordering process that is 90% automated. The extensive geographical reach and the inherent logic of the platform also opened up completely new markets and customer groups for GKN.

Ana Martinez

Ana has extensive experience in corporate innovation. She has helped over 25 Global 1000 corporations from a wide range of industries develop new business strategies using the latest technologies in the market and has also led 70+ partnerships between corporations and startups. Ana has worked with corporate clients such as Nestle, PepsiCo, Volkswagen, Procter & Gamble, JetBlue, Mizuho, BP, Repsol, Nissan, Avis Budget Group, Magna, Renault, Ferguson, Allstate, GrainCorp, Givaudan, BSM, Griffith Foods, AGC, IAG, among others.

As a member of Rabobank’s first Innovation Team, Ana successfully launched Foodbytes, a pitch competition and networking platform that connects the top food and agriculture startups, corporates and investors. With 15 global pitch competitions, 260+ startup pitches and 4700+ attendees, Foodbytes has become the top startup pitch competitions in the food and agriculture industries. She also launched TERRA, a food and agriculture accelerator that brings together the industry’s most disruptive startups and leading corporations to fuel industry innovation and strategic partnerships.

Ana graduated from the University of California Berkeley with a major in Economics. She was born in Guadalajara, Mexico and loves to play golf!

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