I am NOT going out of business. In fact all the items you find on my store right now are still available. Currently, I'm in negotiations with several companies to get my vast catalog of custom products back up and running again as soon as possible.
Now is also a good time to find new ways to operate. This includes evaluating other ways to deliver the products you want in different ways. Like expanding my downloadable STL file selections here on my store. I know this decision will make many of you very happy, since I’ve been getting numerous email requesting that very thing. However, I will be selective in the files I choose to offer.
Don’t forget however, not all of my 3D products were produced with Shapeways. All my Monkey Resin products are still available! This includes many of your favorites. I am also working with that partner to expand the number of products I can have them produce. This process will take some time, but those machines are ready for your orders now.
For as much as those solutions will help, there is no ignoring the fact that some of my most popular product just can’t be produced with off the shelf 3D printers. The high-end, industrial printers used in Eindhoven will be my best solution to provide you with the product quality you have grown to expect from me. I am committed to forging a partnership with them, if and when they get back on line.
I hope to be back and better than ever soon… Simian Dominous!
Want to know what happened?
As you may know, Shapeways was my primary 3D printing facility for the vast majority of my products. Their platform gave me a way to create my business in the first place. However, on Tuesday morning the New York based holding company that owned Shapeways decided to close shop and declare bankruptcy. Not only were all their US employees immediately fired, they left thousands of independent shop owners, like myself, holding the bag on all the orders they took payment for and had yet to fulfill. For me this effect reaches back to June 25.
How our process used to worked, was that after you paid on my site, your order was picked up by Shapeways. Then they automatically charge my credit card for the production, shipping and taxes, before any work was done. All my orders that were in production at their US facilitates, at the time they closed the doors on Tuesday July 2nd, are being disposed of. All of my customers that are affected by this situation have been contacted and made aware of this situation.
As you may have noticed, I keep referring to the US facility. There is a reason for that. Rules for bankruptcy in the Netherlands are different than the US. They safeguard the workers, so that corporate management can't just fire an entire workforce and walk away. They have a process that allows for a period of time to discover if what’s left can be restructured into a viable company. During this time things can be done and there is good hope that production there can be restarted in the coming weeks..
I was in contact yesterday with the operations manager in Eindhoven. He and his employees are going to do whatever they can to fulfill their responsibilities in completing all outstanding orders they can. It is hard to tell at this point which orders he can fulfill, but I’m told that most Fine Detail Plastic was produced at his facility. However, there are a few challenges they need to be contend with. One of which is that some orders might be in transit at the US facility which is currently closed. We are working on a solution around this issue. Gods and Emperor willing, we will deliver all those order we can. For those orders we can’t I have assured my customers I will all I can to give them a full refund.