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Printing News

Chloe Barnes

3/23/2023

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Chloe Barnes

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Chloe Barnes is a printmaker and artist currently residing in Bristol, UK. During her MA in Multi-Disciplinary Printmaking at the University West of England, she specialised in monoprinting, a process which combined her love of painting and drawing.

Chloe’s monotypes are inspired by found photography, stories, and her experiences of the world. Most recently, she completed a body of work based on Atalanta, the heroine of hunting from Greek mythology. To fuel the imagery, Chloe incorporated costumes and masks and took reference photos of herself re-enacting the character. By stepping into Atalanta’s shoes, Chloe could channel her thoughts and feelings into figurative prints. Whether she creates a portrait, figure study, or a narrative scene, the expressive and unpredictable characteristics of monoprinting allow Chloe to imbue a sense of emotional resonance between the subject and the viewer.

Now that she has finished her masters, Chloe is based at Spike Print Studio. With a painterly approach to image-making, her print station consists of an easel, drawing board, plate (aluminium or plexiglass), and an assortment of brushes, rollers, and scrim. Depending on the size, Chloe paints directly onto the plate using oil-based inks for up to 6-7 hours. The image, which is later printed onto paper using an etching press, is made using a combination of light and darkfield techniques. Switching between scrim and brushes, Chloe constantly plays with positive and negative space; the interplay between her subject and its surroundings infuses her work with movement and a sense of drama.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Chloe is inspired by expressionist artists such as Egon Schiele and Edvard Munch, as well as Francis Bacon, Paula Rego, Tracey Emin and Marcelle Haneslaar. Although the human figure is at the heart of her practice, Chloe often distorts the form away from literal representation. By working within a short time period, her image-making is intuitive and spontaneous, leaning into the expressionist genre.

After recently exhibiting at the Royal Society of British Artists Bicentennial Annual Exhibition and winning the Hahnemuhle Fine Art Award, Chloe is building her career as an emerging artist by regularly exhibiting her monotypes. Wanting to become a master in monoprinting, she plans to relocate to London later in the year to continue developing her knowledge and skills surrounding painting and intaglio processes with established master printmakers and artists.

www.chloebarnesartist.com
@chloe_barnes_artist





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March 23, 2023 at 11:09AM
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3D Printing News Unpeeled: Failure to Ignite Synchrotrons and Connectors

3/23/2023

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3D Printing News Unpeeled: Failure to Ignite, Synchrotrons and Connectors

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Relativity Space‘s rocket did launch after two failed attempts but the second stage failed to ignite. This is a terrible event in 3D printing. It makes us all look bad and it makes our technology look bad. Relativity raised $1.3 billion, so they will have a lot of money to make good on their promise. But, Silicon Valley is fixated on vertically integrated startups. Is this maybe a mistake? Could they maybe have bitten off more than they can chew? Perhaps it is just too complex for any organization to make both a rocket and a 3D printer.

 

 

A Swedish, Swiss and US research project using two synchrotrons evaluated the cooling behavior and structures of metal 3D printed parts. Results tracked with the Kurz-Giovanola-Trivedi (KGT) solidification model. This could lead to better 3D Printed parts and yields.

3D Systems collaborated with TE Connectivity to make a specific resin for connectors an application that I love.

The post 3D Printing News Unpeeled: Failure to Ignite, Synchrotrons and Connectors appeared first on 3DPrint.com | The Voice of 3D Printing / Additive Manufacturing.





Printing

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March 23, 2023 at 10:29AM
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11 Best abandoned browse email examples to win back lost prospects

3/23/2023

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11 Best abandoned browse email examples to win back lost prospects

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An abandoned browse email is sent to shoppers who viewed a specific product or category page on your website but left without adding a product to their online cart. A familiar struggle, isn’t it?

Abandoned browse emails are slightly different from cart abandonment emails which are triggered when shoppers add products to their cart but do not check out. 

An abandoned browse email aims to motivate prospects to purchase the products they spent time viewing on your page. The automated email also provides the perfect opportunity to recommend similar products the customers may like. 

The data below from Oberlo shows that only about 11% of shoppers added products to their carts in the Q2 of 2022. Between the second quarter of 2021 and 2022, we see a steady drop to 12%.

While these figures could be higher, there’s a possibility that your ecommerce store does not record up to the global average, and that’s not good for your revenue. 

So, as you successfully attract potential customers to your ecommerce website through social media, SEO, and email marketing techniques,  you must also ensure that these leads buy from you. One of the proven ways to get the results you’re hoping for is to send browse abandonment emails.

And we are here with some powerful browse abandonment email examples to inspire you.

11 best browse abandonment email examples

Some of the reasons behind browse abandonment in ecommerce sites are poor product page design, too much clutter, misleading ads, or poor user experience. So you should always look out for these.

But what if your store’s design is flawless and yet people keep on bouncing? That’s about time for you to craft those browse abandonment emails and encourage those visitors to make a purchase and become loyal customers.

That said, let’s show you 11 interesting examples of browse abandonment messages we’ve seen:

1. Cole Haan

Cole Haan’s abandonment email example comes with a subtle design. They do not hesitate to maximize the sense of urgency with the “bag this one before it’s gone” caption. However, the email is neither pushy nor overwhelming, just a simple reminder.

Cole Haan also strikes your curiosity a little with the “check availability” CTA. 

Like the email subject line says, Cole Haan was keen to recommend products similar to what the browse abandoner had viewed on their eCommerce store. This is an effective way to engage potential customers based on their interests.

The browse abandonment email subject line is straightforward and precise. It also lets the recipients know that the products in the email were specially curated for them. This will further inspire the potential customer’s purchase intent.

So, like Cole Haan, you can opt for subtle abandonment emails. Keep only the necessary details and try not to overwhelm your customers. Integrating automated AI recommendations on your ecommerce store can help you curate relevant products like the Cole Haan example we just saw. 

2. Lego

Lego’s browse abandonment email does not fall short with the captivating visuals. Unlike the Cole Haan example, Lego’s email focuses on a single product. However, they do not overlook the fact that people love incentives. Hence, they add a “free shipping” notification to their email.

Notice that they also include clear and specific calls to action.

The email subject is an obvious reminder that the customer recently viewed some products in their store, and that’s enough to get them back—especially if they had gotten distracted while browsing.

You can learn from Lego and use engaging visuals in the browse abandonment emails to boost engagement and pick your potential shoppers’ interest.

3. Adidas

Adidas understands that a browser issue could also affect the buying journey, so they choose to empathize with the customer.

They start by showing concern about what may have been the reason for the abandonment. Even if the customer didn’t have a browser issue, it would be good to know that the brand cared enough to ask. 

Also, Adidas subtly integrates the fear of missing out (FOMO) into the copy instead of an outright promotional message. They focus on the customer by saying, “you don’t want to miss out.” 

The browse abandonment email gets even better with the curation of reviews about the product. This way, potential buyers are encouraged to continue their shopping based on reviews from other buyers—and according to research, 58% out of 95% of customers will buy products with positive reviews. 

Also, although the email has multiple CTAs, they’re all precise and do not confuse the customer. 

The email subject in this abandonment email example is an excellent attention grabber, too. It’ll either get the customer curious about what happened to their Wi-Fi or show genuine concern from Adidas. Either way, it’s enough to get a click without being too clickbait-ish.

Another thing you can learn from Adidas is to throw in some reviews about the abandoned product that your recipients viewed when sending an abandoned browse email.

4.Nomad 

Like Adidas, Nomad wants to know why the customer dropped off without adding the products to their cart. They use a well-crafted copy to indicate this and nudge the customer to continue shopping. Rather than a regular CTA, Nomad stands out with the “seal the deal” caption. 

But that’s not all. Nomad also understands that a potential customer might need some reassurance before buying from them. So, they indicate that there’s a return policy and a 2-year warranty. With this, a skeptical prospect is encouraged to buy from them.

The subject line for this email is direct, based on urgency, and indicates a sense of authority.

Like Nomad, you can use the browse abandonment emails to nurture trust with your prospect and show customers that you want them to enjoy an uninterrupted shopping experience.

5. Haoma

Haomas’ browse abandonment email is a great example of how a creative image and copy can emphasize the shop’s readiness to help the customer. They understand that the customer might have some questions or need assistance to continue shopping. They do not hesitate to provide this to recover lost sales.

The email copy is direct. Also, they add a specific product that the customer has shown interest in and use the “Add to cart” call to action, which is more precise. 

Next, Haoma throws in some customer favorites to ensure that the shopper visits their store again. The subject line is an open-ended question that aims to immediately engage the customer. 

When you send your browse abandonment emails, like Haoma, you should consider if the customer may have had some queries but could not get in touch quickly. Offering your support right in their mailbox with a quick follow-up email would be an effective way to pick the shopper’s interest and get them to make a purchase on your ecommerce site.

6. The Dollar Shave Club

The Dollar Shave club is known for its remarkable boldness, and this abandoned browse email stays on brand.

The email focuses on the benefits of shopping from the online store.

Also, The Dollar Shave Club’s email copy gives the customer a guarantee that they’ll find what they need and assures them that they can get a refund if they don’t. With this assurance, a doubting prospect will no longer be reluctant to complete the purchase.

There’s also a high-quality image of their shaving kit. They finish off with some humor and visible CTAs. Notice that the “Try the club” CTA is highlighted more than the “learn more” CTA below. Obviously, they want to drive more clicks on the first call to action.

The Dollar Shave Club also calls for attention with the “where did you go” subject line, maximizing curiosity.

With the email from The Dollar Shave Club, we see that you can lure prospects back and encourage them to stop searching for alternatives by highlighting the benefits they’ll get from your products.

7. Samsung

Samsung’s abandonment message is not just a follow-up action we often see in many automated emails. Samsung starts by telling customers the product they like is in high demand— that’s FOMO in play. They also prompt the customer to check their store for other products they’d like.

The subject line uses free shipping to encourage clicks:

Additionally, they include suggestions for similar products.

Samsung also didn’t miss out on a chance to cross-sell by mentioning the other product categories they want the customer to check. They finish off by highlighting incentives and reward programs customers can enjoy.

You can use similar browse abandonment email templates to create a strong sense of value around your products and match this with an indication of urgency. If the customer who is already interested in the product sees that it may run out soon, and knows they can save money—they’ll most likely take the bait.

8. On

On’s email is a little similar to Samsung’s. They build urgency around the products that the customer has viewed. They also add the “free shipping” incentive and include the various categories of products in their store.

The email design is sleek and easy on the eyes. The call to action is also straightforward.

On uses the caption “still available?” A precise subject line that’ll trigger curiosity with the prospect and get them to open the email. 

9. National Mattress Outlet

It’ll be hard to ignore the catchy color combination in the above browse abandonment email from National Mattress Outlet.

In this abandoned browse message, the caption – “express delivery” is what customers see first. This quantity-based offer is one way for the store to increase the conversion rate while boosting the average order value. Again, there’s a subtle hint that the product will sell out soon.

The email also includes a prompt for customers to contact them with questions they might have and includes other product categories. They offer coupons that’ll help customers save more money. 

“Get it before it’s gone!” is a nice catch for customers who don’t want to miss out on the high-quality mattress they like.

You can send a similar abandonment email that combines all the factors— incentives, great design, personalization, and customer support.

10. Pulp & Press

This Pulp & Press email essentially says: we know you love this product, but others love it too, so get it before they do.

The focal image also contributes to showing the delight in consuming their product.

Pulp & Press does not shy away from a perfect cross-selling opportunity. The CTA buttons are clear, and the texts are precise. And finally, they encourage the customer to join their reward program. Everything about this browse abandonment email is built to engage the customer.

Further, Pulp & Press uses a cheerful and exciting subject line to get the customers’ attention. This is something you can definitely emulate with your own emails, too. 

11. American Giant

American Giant uses plain text to drive its message across. The copy is straightforward: they let the prospects know that customer service is readily available.

There’s a distinct “Shop Now” button that’s impossible to miss. This abandonment email by American Giant focuses on a single product neatly placed within the email. 

Also, the subject line is a curious one that’ll get the recipient to click. Simple emails like this one are easy to pull off, and you’d be surprised by how effective they can be.

How to create browse abandonment campaigns in 4 steps

People visit your ecommerce website for different reasons. Some may come with purchase intent, while others may be window shopping. These window shoppers are the exact reason why you want to have a browse abandonment strategy in place.

It doesn’t have to be difficult! In fact, you can create browse abandonment email campaigns in 4 simple steps using GetResponse.

Step 1: Create a marketing automation workflow

The marketing automation workflow you create depends on the pages shoppers visit on your website. So, you’ll use the ‘page visited’ condition (indicated in the image below) to achieve this and filter out customers who have purchased on your site. This way, you can be sure that the abandonment emails are delivered to the right audience.

The GetResponse automation creator has a dynamic segment filter that makes it easier to streamline your workflow as you create it.

You can target homepage abandonment, site search abandonment, and so on.

Step 2: Send a ‘recently viewed’ message with an AI-generated recommendation

With GetResponse, you can use AI recommendation engines to suggest products based on the items customers view in your store.

That increases the relevance of your emails, allowing you to recover more browse abandonment revenue.

You can set up the emails using our drag-and-drop Email Creator. Just add the Product Recommendations block into your message, choose your store, and select the “Recently viewed” recommendations type.

Once you’re done, make sure that all the conditions, actions, and filters are set up properly, and you’re good to go.

Step 3: Do a test run

After you have configured your browse abandonment emails, you want to be sure that you got all the details covered. Captivating subject lines, timely email deliveries, quality email copy, and so on. Take another glance at all your settings and workflow charts too.

You can also simulate the customer behavior to see whether the emails will be triggered and how they’ll look.

Note: If you have an impressive contact list and are worried about the deliverability of your browser abandonment emails, make sure to dedicate some time to IP warmup before setting up your automation.

Step 4: Monitor progress

Once your email campaign is live, monitor it to ensure it’s performing well. Don’t be afraid to tweak the campaign settings when necessary to improve the email performance.

We are launching AI Email Generator (currently in beta) that allows split-testing up to 5 different versions of the most crucial elements of you browse abandonment emails. Make sure to check it out when it’s available!

Final words

Your email marketing strategy should not only aim to nurture new and existing customers. It can also be an avenue to increase sales through browse abandonment email campaigns.

Sending browse abandonment emails is an effective way to regain potential buyers. Use these emails to show prospects what they are missing out on. You can also use them to cross-sell alternative products or offer customer support. The latter works best if the user abandoned your site due to technical issues. 

GetResponse MAX helps you automate your browse abandonment emails with more precision and less hassle thanks to enhanced customization and professional support eager to help you succeed.

Now that you know this, go ahead and create some awesome browse abandonment emails to turn window shoppers into buyers. Good luck!





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March 23, 2023 at 10:17AM
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Mailchimp vs. GetResponse: Who offers better customization?

3/23/2023

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Mailchimp vs. GetResponse: Who offers better customization?

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So you’re looking for the best email marketing platform, and you can’t decide between GetResponse and Mailchimp. Tough one! 

Mailchimp is widely recognized as one of the most popular email marketing tools out there. But as our in-depth test will show, that also seems to mean that Mailchimp tries to suit an “average email marketer” out there, with little customization out of the box.

Does an “average” email marketer exist, we ask, and how well does Mailchimp cater to more custom needs compared to what GetResponse offers?

TLDR; GetResponse offers more value for money at a lower cost in almost all pricing tiers.

Mailchimp overall offers much less customization in its software. From how marketing automation actions are triggered to how many custom audiences you can send your newsletter to, Mailchimp effectively limits your creativity.

In contrast, GetResponse lets you do more for less money. Read on to learn more, or sign up 100% free today.

Table Of Contents

Mailchimp vs. GetResponse: a quick summary of all features

In a hurry? Here’s a quick summary of all key features that are included in the two platforms:

Feature GetResponse Mailchimp
Email marketing ✅ ✅
Email templates 100+ Below 10
Email builder ✅ ✅
AI features for emails ✅ ❌
Marketing automation ✅ (more customizable) ✅
Signup forms and popups ✅ (more advanced) ✅
Landing pages ✅ (more advanced) ✅
Multichannel marketing ✅ ✅
Webinars ✅ ❌
SMS ✅ ❌
Web push notifications ✅ ❌
Conversion funnels ✅ ❌
Postcards ❌ ✅
Appointments ❌ ✅
Facebook and Instagram ads ✅ ✅
Google ads ✅ ❌
24/7 customer support ✅ ✅

Pricing for the lowest plan:

# of contacts GetResponse: Email marketing plan Mailchimp: Essentials plan
500 $19/mo for 1,000 contacts $13/mo
2,500 $29/mo $39.5/mo
5,000 $54/mo $69/mo
10,000 $79/mo $100/mo
25,000 $174/mo $260/mo
50,000 $299/mo $350/mo

Note: Mailchimp has a monthly email sends limit on the Essentials plan of 10x your contact list size. With GetResponse, you can send unlimited emails on all paid plans.

Pricing for the medium plan:

# of contacts GetResponse: Marketing automation plan Mailchimp: Standard plan
500 $59/mo for 1,000 contacts $20/mo
2,500 $69/mo $60/mo
5,000 $95/mo $100/mo
10,000 $114/mo $135/mo
25,000 $215/mo $270/mo
50,000 $359/mo $410/mo

Note: Mailchimp has a monthly email sends limit on the Standard plan of 20x your contact list size. As highlighted above, this isn’t the case with GetResponse.

Also, keep in mind that these are base prices. Mailchimp only offers two types of discounts. A 10% off security discount and a 15% off nonprofit discount. GetResponse, on the other hand, offers three kinds of discounts (from 18% to 50%), so if you sign up for a longer contract, you’ll save even more! 

1. User interface

Let’s take a look at the general user interface. To ensure I got the same experience, I’ve created a new account on both email marketing platforms.

GetResponse

GetResponse vs. Mailchimp comparison. Picture shows the GetResponse dashboard with the Tools listed unfolded.
GetResponse dashboard with the Tools listed unfolded

GetResponse offers a fast, modern, and user-friendly interface that is easy to navigate. Even if you have never used any other marketing apps before, you will quickly find your way around and be ready to launch your marketing campaigns in no time.

Whether you want to check your campaigns’ performance or set up a new campaign, you can do it with just a few clicks. The Quick Actions widget is particularly helpful, allowing you to perform some of the most important activities, such as creating an email, popup, adding new contacts, or launching a marketing automation workflow.

If you prefer to explore the features in a more traditional way, simply click on the Tools menu at the top to access all available tools

Customizable Quick Actions widget lets you quickly perform your key marketing activities.
Customizable Quick Actions widget lets you quickly perform your key marketing activities

Pro tip: When you first log into GetResponse, you get to choose whether to explore the platform on your own or to follow the interactive tutorial. If you’re new to the tool or email marketing in general, I highly recommend choosing the latter. Here, the tutorial will show you the most important features, like creating and sending your first newsletter.

Mailchimp

Mailchimp dashboard with the tools list unfolded.
Mailchimp dashboard with the tools list unfolded

Mailchimp also provides a fast, clean, and fairly intuitive user interface. In my opinion, there are two key differences between this and the GetResponse dashboard.

Firstly, the Mailchimp interface has a more classical feel. If you appreciate this aesthetic, you will enjoy working with this app.

Secondly, the navigational menu displays the available tools differently. In GetResponse, to access customer information like your contacts list, segments, or tags, you would go to Contacts and then choose the relevant tab. In Mailchimp, however, you can see all available features right away. Instead of only seeing the Audience category, you have a list of 8 features related to this topic.

At first, this may seem like a good idea for organizing the menu. If your users can reach the relevant feature in just one click instead of two, it’s a win, right? In this case, I don’t think so. While the tools are divided into several logical categories (e.g., Campaigns, Audiences), the sheer number of available options can feel overwhelming, with about 40 tools listed in the menu. As a result, you may need to scroll down to see them all.

The good news is that Mailchimp’s menu includes a search feature that allows you to dig through all available tools. This can be useful, provided you know what you’re looking for.

Mailchimp's search feature lets you quickly search through the app
Mailchimp’s search feature lets you quickly search through the app

Verdict: Tie

Both platforms offer intuitive interfaces allowing users to run campaigns and access all tools relatively easily.

The user interfaces definitely have different feel and aesthetics, but, in my opinion, there’s no clear winner here.

Also, even though the tools are displayed differently on both platforms, I don’t think that’s a dealbreaker.

2. Email marketing

Both GetResponse and Mailchimp are primarily known as email marketing tools. But let’s look closer at their email marketing capabilities and see if they fit all our needs.

GetResponse

At its core, GetResponse is an email marketing service. The app offers a great range of email marketing features and lets you send all types of emails, including:

  • One-off campaigns, called Newsletters
  • Automated drip campaigns, called Autoresponders
  • Automated RSS feed emails, called RSS-to-email 
  • Automated emails triggered by various conditions and actions, called Automation messages
  • Automated emails referring to transactional events, called Transactional emails

You can access them by going to the Tools menu and choosing the relevant feature (e.g., Automation for Automation messages).

Customizing prebuilt email templates is a breeze
Customizing prebuilt email templates is a breeze

What’s really helpful is that GetResponse keeps adding new tools that simplify the process of creating your email messages in the shortest amount of time possible. Besides offering 100+ prebuilt email templates and an intuitive drag-and-drop email builder, we’ve added an AI subject line generator and an AI email builder. Using them, you’ll be able to get your campaigns off the ground in moments.

AI subject line generator creates captivating subject lines in seconds.
AI subject line generator creates captivating subject lines in seconds

In addition to developing your campaigns, GetResponse lets you A/B test your messages (up to 5 variants at a time) and optimize their send-time using Time Travel and Perfect Timing features. Our studies have shown that email marketers who use these tools can expect up to 40% higher-than-average click-through rates and better deliverability.

For A/B tests, the default options let you test subject lines and the content of your emails. However, if you want to dive deeper into optimization, you can A/B test your campaigns using Automation.

One of the things that set GetResponse apart from other email marketing services is the Autoresponders feature. Unlike other tools, where you need to build drip campaigns using Automation builder, here you can use a handy calendar view instead.

Calendar view lets you easily manage autoresponders
Calendar view lets you easily manage autoresponders

This helps marketers better visualize the cadence of their email drip campaigns and tells them how many recipients are at a given stage. It’s particularly useful for running lead nurturing campaigns, onboarding sequences, and email courses.

Mailchimp

Mailchimp also lets you run different kinds of email campaigns, including regular emails, automations, and transactional emails.

Previously, Mailchimp also offered an automated RSS-to-email feature, but it’s no longer available in the new automation tool. Instead, you can add an RSS merge tag to your emails, but there’s no way to trigger the campaign when there’s a new post published on your blog.

Setting up a typical drip campaign is also possible in Mailchimp, but to do that, you’ll need to use their Automation tool and build a Journey.

To design your emails, you’ll need to use the drag-and-drop email builder, where you can start from one of several prebuilt email templates. We’ll come back to the email builder later, but it’s got a few handy features worth highlighting now, like the message style editor or email preview that lets you also preview your merge tags.

Mailchimp offers only several email templates out of the box.
Mailchimp offers only several email templates out of the box

While Mailchimp doesn’t offer AI subject line generation, it does offer practical tips on how many words, characters, or emojis you should use in your subject lines. It’s not ideal, but it can still help you improve your emails.

If you want to optimize your email marketing messages, Mailchimp has a built-in A/B testing tool that lets you test your subject line, from name to content, and send time (up to 3 variants at a time). While it doesn’t let you test the same number of variants at one time as GetResponse, it does have a unique feature that lets you select a winning variant based on the total revenue.

Mailchimp provides tips on how to write better subject lines.
Mailchimp provides tips on how to write better subject lines

One thing I’ve found confusing and limiting in Mailchimp is that when you’re sending your email campaigns, you can only select one audience.


So, let’s say you’re a marketing agency that offers online programs and wants to launch a new course about Google Analytics 4.

You decided that you want to target your former students – people who’ve finished your email marketing and marketing analytics courses.

To send your campaign using Mailchimp, you’d have to either create a new segment that combines all your students. Or you’d have to resend the same message multiple times, remembering to exclude overlapping subscribers.


In my opinion, that’s an unnecessary amount of work to do something that simple.

Verdict: GetResponse offers better email marketing features

Not surprisingly, both Mailchimp and GetResponse are powerful email marketing platforms. 

While Mailchimp has strong A/B testing and optimization capabilities, its poor choice of email templates and lack of AI-powered tools make it less efficient for campaign creation.

In addition, GetResponse also offers more flexibility in choosing multiple audiences when sending your email marketing campaigns.

3. Email builder

We’ll now take a  closer look at the drag-and-drop email builders and email templates offered by both email marketing tools.

GetResponse

GetResponse offers an intuitive drag-and-drop email builder that comes with 100+ predesigned and fully-customizable email templates. Using email templates, you can save a lot of time when working on your email marketing projects.

The modern and mobile-responsive templates are divided into various categories so that you can use them for all types of email marketing campaigns. And it’s not just us tooting our own horn, we get tons of positive feedback about the templates from our users on sites like G2.

Free Email Templates in GetResponse.
Free customizable and mobile-responsive email templates in GetResponse

What is more, GetResponse is not afraid to be among the first early adopters of the new AI-powered technology. So far, we’re seeing that the AI subject line generator and AI email generator (beta) have cut down the time our customers spend creating emails by an average of 85%!

The email creator itself lets you customize your emails in all kinds of ways. You can add, save, and reuse different sections and blocks, which is very helpful if you’re going to work with email campaigns regularly.

GetResponse Email Creator
GetResponse Email Creator comes with free images, GIFs from Giphy, and other useful tools

Advanced users will appreciate the fact that you can optimize your emails specifically for mobile devices. You can do this by hiding certain elements on mobiles and reversing the order of columns when stacking your elements on smaller screens.

Other useful solutions, like the built-in Shutterstock and Giphy integrations, let you quickly embed images into your emails without needing to buy or download them, should you not have your custom graphics.

Inside the email creator, you'll find free images and direct integrations with Giphy and Shutterstock.
Inside the email creator, you’ll find free images and direct integrations with Giphy and Shutterstock

Last but not least, GetResponse email creator also offers a spam check, inbox preview, dark mode preview, and mobile preview, which will help ensure your email marketing campaigns look great no matter where or when they’re viewed.

Mailchimp

Mailchimp’s new email builder comes with only several prebuilt email templates.

However, if you’d like to gain access to more of them, you can buy premium Mailchimp templates in their marketplace.

Mailchimp email templates.
Free Mailchimp templates included in your account

Aside from predesigned layouts, Mailchimp offers a creative assistant solution that scans your website for CSS and images to develop a custom-made template just for you. This is a very practical solution, especially if you’ve already got an established brand book with fonts and styling you want to use across all your marketing channels.

Mailchimp's creative assistant helps you create emails using your website's styling.
Mailchimp’s creative assistant helps you create emails using your website’s styling

The email builder is user-friendly and offers a variety of building blocks you can use to design your emails. Aside from the typical elements you’ll find in other email marketing services, it offers built-in surveys and apps for local businesses, as well as integration with Canva.

Mailchimp's email editor features a Giphy integration and other valuable built-in tools.
Mailchimp’s email editor features a Giphy integration and other valuable built-in tools

At the same time, Mailchimp’s email editor doesn’t come with any free images, so you’ll need to develop all your marketing assets elsewhere. For many small businesses, this will be important, as they often don’t have full-time designers on their teams.

One feature I liked the most was the styles editor, which lets you easily adjust the styling for all individual elements of your messages, like the headers, paragraphs, or buttons. It may not be particularly practical if you’re reusing existing templates, but it comes in handy when setting up your first campaign or adjusting it for the season.

Lastly, the email builder only offers a simple email preview. It’s not the best if you’d like to check what your message looks like in dark mode or how it displays in different mailboxes.

Verdict: GetResponse wins again

When it comes to email templates, GetResponse is the clear winner. It offers 100+ well-designed, modern, and mobile responsive templates you can use immediately. In comparison, Mailchimp offers fewer than 10 templates altogether.

When it comes to email builders, both Mailchimp and GetResponse offer good solutions that’ll satisfy your email marketing needs. They both have strengths and weaknesses, so I suggest you test them by signing up for a free account.

4. Marketing automation

Let’s continue this Mailchimp vs. GetResponse showdown by comparing the marketing automation features of both platforms.

GetResponse

With GetResponse Marketing Automation, you can build automated workflows to deliver relevant communication to your audience throughout their entire customer journey.

You can start by using one of the 40+ prebuilt marketing automation workflow templates or building your own from scratch. 

The templates are divided into several categories based on the goals they serve – e.g., welcome, lead qualifying, engagement and retention, etc.

Prebuilt marketing automation templates.
Prebuilt marketing automation workflow templates in GetResponse

After you’ve selected the workflow template you want to customize, you’ll enter the automation builder arena, where you can edit or add more elements to your journey.

You’ll be able to choose from the following:

  • 19 conditions – for example, if subscribed, if cart abandoned, if event
  • 12 actions – for example, send message, send web push notification, send SMS
  • 7 filters – for example, amount, dynamic segment, consent status

To create your workflow, all you need to do is to drag and drop individual building blocks, connect them with a node, and then customize the blocks’ settings. This process is fairly simple, although every block has multiple settings, so it may take some time to set things up.

GetResponse Marketing Automation Workflow Builder showing a simple abandoned cart workflow
GetResponse Marketing Automation Workflow Builder showing a simple abandoned cart workflow

The real power of the GetResponse automation lies in the dynamic segment filter and tags. Using these blocks, you can target your audience with sniper-like accuracy and communicate with them as you wish.

Mailchimp

Mailchimp’s marketing automation solution looks fairly similar to the GetResponse one.

In fact, it’s the only aspect of the platform where Mailchimp has more templates to offer! To build your automated workflows, you can use one of 70+ templates or build them from scratch. The templates are categorized based on their goal – find and welcome new contacts, nurture leads, re-engage contacts, support and manage contacts.

Mailchimp's automation templates gallery
Mailchimp’s automation templates gallery

Judging by the layout of the Mailchimp templates gallery, their key focus is on connecting your Mailchimp campaigns with other marketing apps.

For example, among the available templates, you’ll find workflows that let you add new contacts from a Google sheet via Zapier. This is very practical and is also possible in GetResponse, but you’d have to manage that via integrations and not the Marketing Automation editor.

Mailchimp's automation builder with a loaded template that lets you add new contacts from Google Sheets via Zapier.
Mailchimp’s automation builder with a loaded template that lets you add new contacts from Google Sheets via Zapier

In terms of the interface, Mailchimp’s marketing automation looks slightly more intuitive. The prebuilt templates are easy to understand and immediately suggest what you can use them for (e.g., send abandoned cart emails for high-value products).

Mailchimp’s automation only lets you create automation workflows that send targeted emails, update your contacts’ information, or move them to other workflows. However, there’s a Webhooks beta feature that should allow you also to target your contacts through other marketing channels.

Verdict: GetResponse offers more customizable automations

In terms of presentation, Mailchimp’s automation templates look better. Their names, categories, and descriptions simplify the process of choosing the right template.

On the other hand, the web push notifications, SMS messages, and other built-in features make GetResponse’s solution more powerful. So, if you’re a Shopify store owner or a B2B that needs multichannel capabilities, you’d want to go with GetResponse.

While Mailchimp’s marketing automation editor lets you use webhooks, you may find some of the elements rather limiting. For example, the “time delay” element only lets you specify the number of hours/days/weeks you want to wait before the next step commences.

Mailchimp’s time delay lets you postpone the next step by N weeks/days/hours

In GetResponse, on the other hand, you can also choose to “wait” until a specific time/day or wait till the next “nth day of a month.” Thanks to this, you can time your automated campaigns better and develop more complex scenarios.

GetResponse's wait element lets you postpone the next step in multiple other ways
GetResponse’s wait element lets you postpone the next step in multiple other ways

5. Signup forms

Signup forms and popups are essential elements of every email marketing strategy. After all, if you’re not building your email list, to whom will you send your campaigns? In this part of the Mailchimp vs. GetResponse rivalry, I’ve compared the signup form builders. 

GetResponse

GetResponse recently launched a new version of its forms and popups builder, which now can safely compete with the capabilities of some of the standalone popup tools you’ll find on the market.

GetResponse forms and popups creator
GetResponse Forms and Popups Creator featuring multiple templates and building blocks

With GetResponse, you can start building your sign-up forms using one of many prebuilt templates. They come in various shapes and sizes – including pop-up boxes, full-screen popups, top-bars, slide-in boxes, and embedded forms – and have been designed for a variety of different use cases, such as:

  • Growing your email list
  • Getting more sales
  • Staying connected
  • Getting feedback
  • Marking the occasion

Inside the forms and popups builder, you’ll find various building blocks, including promo codes, images, videos, countdown timer, signup form, and more. Like other drag-and-drop builders inside GetResponse, it’s modern and comprehensive.

Popup form templates available in GetResponse.
GetResponse forms and popup templates come in all shapes and forms

What makes this tool especially useful, are the robust targeting options that let you display the popups based on a set of various conditions and triggers. For example, you can display a popup with a unique promo code to people who visited a particular product page multiple times.

GetResponse Forms and Popups Display Rules.
GetResponse popup trigger settings

Mailchimp

Mailchimp also offers a built-in solution to create signup forms and popups.

Similarly to their email builder, the form builder only includes several templates, and looks slightly outdated.

Mailchimp popup editor and templates
Mailchimp popup editor and templates

While the templates are useful, they don’t offer much design freedom. You can’t add different elements beyond what’s already included in the template. In other words, if you want to add videos, countdown timers, or social media icons, you’re better off using another tool.

Lastly, there are no advanced targeting options and only a few preset display rules. You won’t be able to target specific audiences, e.g., desktop users or users visiting your website in a particular country.

Mailchimp popup display settings.
Mailchimp popup display settings

Verdict: GetResponse offers more advanced forms and popups

GetResponse is the clear winner when it comes to signup form solutions. It offers more templates and a more advanced tool to target your audience with laser precision.
Naturally, both GetResponse and Mailchimp integrate with all of the most popular form builders, like Wisepops or Optimonk. However, if you’re looking for a single solution, then GetResponse should be your pick.

6. Landing pages

It’s time we looked at the landing page builders offered by Mailchimp and GetResponse. Both offer a drag-and-drop editor, but are they equally powerful? We’re about to find out.

GetResponse

GetResponse Website Builder lets you create multi-page websites as well as standalone landing pages.

It comes packed with many predesigned landing page templates and an AI website builder that’ll automatically build a customized website for your needs.

Landing Page Templates GetResponse
Website Builder features all kinds of page templates including landing pages

The drag-and-drop editor you’ll see here is pretty robust. You can design your landing pages using a range of elements like:

  • Text
  • Images
  • Buttons
  • Galleries
  • Videos
  • Countdown timer
  • Membership area
  • Social sharing icons
  • Product boxes
  • Signup form
  • Contact form
  • Webinar signup form
  • Custom code
  • Etc.
Website Builder lets you create highly-customizable landing pages
Website Builder lets you create highly-customizable landing pages

It has a global design tool that lets you quickly customize your color palette, typography, button styling, etc. There’s also a live preview that lets you see what your landing page looks like on a desktop or mobile. And similarly to email creator, here you can hide certain elements from appearing on mobile screens, too. 

Finally, you can customize your landing page’s SEO settings – decide whether the page should be indexed, provide the title and meta description – and assign your own domain.

What’s pretty unique about this solution is that GetResponse also offers its own tools like live chats and webinars, which you can easily add to your landing page without needing to integrate any external tools.

Overall, it’s a good tool, although not as intuitive as some of the other dedicated landing page builders. It’s a part of the marketing automation engine, after all. At the same time, GetResponse’s Website Builder comes with many neat solutions, like built-in Unsplash and Shutterstock integrations or the aforementioned live chats and webinars.

GetResponse Landing Pages come with free images from Unsplash, Shutterstock, and Giphy
GetResponse Landing Pages come with free images from Unsplash, Shutterstock, and Giphy

Mailchimp

In your Mailchimp account, you’ll find an intuitive drag-and-drop builder that’ll let you set up landing pages in moments.

It comes with several landing page templates and various elements you can add as your building blocks. Within your landing pages, you’ll be able to use the following:

  • Text
  • Images
  • Buttons
  • Image cards
  • Image galleries
  • Social media icons
  • Products and payments
  • Videos
  • About
  • Quote
  • Contact
Mailchimp's website builder offers an easy solution to add appointments or generate leads
Mailchimp’s website builder offers an easy solution to add appointments or generate leads

Looking at the raw number of available elements, you’ll see that Mailchimp’s landing page builder offers fewer options than GetResponse.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s still a good tool that’ll let you generate leads effectively. In fact, I found that adding appointments or creating a store is easier with Mailchimp. However, more advanced users from more demanding industries may miss elements like the countdown timer or custom code.

The lack of the custom code element may be especially painful, as having it would allow you to integrate your landing pages with external tools and apps using Javascript code. For example, if you wanted to insert a PayPal purchase button or use heatmaps from Hotjar, that’d be impossible without the custom code.

In the builder, you’ll also find a styling editor that lets you customize different parts of your landing pages with ease and a creative assistant that’ll help you design your marketing assets like images.

Mailchimp's landing pages come with free images from Unsplash
Mailchimp’s landing pages come with free images from Unsplash

Speaking of images, Mailchimp has a built-in integration with Unsplash, which is great if you don’t have your own marketing assets.

Overall, Mailchimp’s landing page builder is a solid intuitive tool. It doesn’t offer some of the more advanced solutions you’ll find in GetResponse or standalone page builders, but it will be enough for marketers who want to promote an ebook or their newsletter.

Verdict: Choose GetResponse for more advanced cases and stick to Mailchimp for basic marketing needs

Yet again, we’ve got two quality tools that’ll help you capture email addresses and run digital marketing campaigns effectively.

Regarding the user interface, Mailchimp’s tool offers a cleaner experience with a slightly lower learning curve. If you’re looking for simplicity, they’re worth your consideration.

On the other hand, the GetResponse Website Builder offers more advanced features, like a countdown timer, membership area, or custom code. If landing pages are an important part of your lead generation efforts, you’ll want to consider GetResponse.

7. Multichannel marketing

Let’s continue this GetResponse vs. Mailchimp comparison by looking at the multichannel marketing capabilities of both tools.

GetResponse

GetResponse is known as an email marketing service, but it offers so much more!

The built-in tools let you:

  • Create landing pages
  • Create popups and forms
  • Create advanced segments
  • Set up automated campaigns using emails, SMS, and web push notifications
  • Set up on-page product recommendations
  • Run paid ads on Facebook, Instagram, and Google
  • Organize webinars
  • Set up conversion funnels
  • Set up live chats
  • Create social media posts
  • Access your campaigns via the mobile app

Whether you want to grow your email list, promote your new offers, or connect with your audience in real time – you can do that with GetResponse.

GetResponse Conversion Funnel helps you connect your marketing activities, like landing pages, webinars, autoresponders, and more.
GetResponse Conversion Funnel helps you connect your marketing activities, like landing pages, webinars, autoresponders, and more.
Using paid ads you can easily drive traffic to your landing pages and promote your offer to new audiences
Using Paid Ads you can easily drive traffic to your landing pages and promote your offer to new audiences
Use built-in webinar software to show off your expertise, build an audience, and sell your products

And the two main advantages of having all these tools under one roof are that it’s more cost-efficient than paying for multiple platforms and that they’re already connected to each other with no need for any third-party integrations.

Mailchimp

Mailchimp also offers multichannel marketing capabilities, although they’re different from the ones provided by GetResponse.

Aside from running email marketing projects using Mailchimp, you can:

  • Create landing pages
  • Create popups and forms
  • Create segments
  • Create surveys
  • Set up automated campaigns using emails and webhooks
  • Run paid ads on Facebook and Instagram
  • Create and schedule social media posts
  • Manage your contacts in CRM
  • Create and schedule appointments
  • Create and send postcards
  • Access your campaigns via the mobile app
You can send postcards directly from your Mailchimp account
You can send postcards directly from your Mailchimp account
You can promote your services using Mailchimp's websites
You can promote your services using Mailchimp’s websites

Verdict: Tie

Again, no clear winner here. The choice will largely depend on what built-in tools you’d like to use.

If you want to grow your business using conversion funnels, webinars, SMS, web push notifications, product recommendations, live chats, or Google ads – go with GetResponse. We’re already seeing many B2B and D2C ecommerce companies moving away from Mailchimp and migrating to GetResponse.

If you want to promote your business using surveys, postcards, appointments, CRM, organic social media posts, and webhooks – choose Mailchimp.

Remember that both platforms integrate with hundreds of other applications via plugins, API, or integration software like Zapier. So, if you’d rather use a different tool to carry out a particular task (e.g., build your contact list by running contests), you’ll most likely be able to do it via an integration.

8. Pricing

Let’s now compare GetResponse and Mailchimp in terms of pricing. Both platforms offer several paid plans, giving you access to different features. The plans have a starting price that increases as your contact list grows.

GetResponse

GetResponse offers 6 pricing plans:

Plan Free Email marketing Marketing automation Ecommerce marketing MAX & MAX2
Starting price for 2,500 contacts $0 for 500 contacts $20.3/mo $48.3/mo $97.3/mo Custom priced
Monthly sending limit 2,500 Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited Custom
Key features included: Essential email marketing features, forms and popups, GetResponse branding, one website and landing page Essential email marketing features, AI subject line generator, forms and popups, one website and landing page, marketing automation templates Everything from the email marketing plan + advanced marketing automation features, webinars, sales funnels, and more Everything from the marketing automation plan + ecommerce automation, segmentations, product recommendations, promo codes, web push notifications, and more Dedicated support, dedicated IP address, IP warmup, professional services, SSO, transactional emails, SMS, and more

Keep in mind GetResponse also offers several discounts – 18% off when you choose an annual plan, 30% off for a biannual plan, and 50% off for nonprofits.

Mailchimp

Mailchimp offers 4 plans:

Plan Free Essentials Standard Premium
Starting price for 2,500 contacts $0 for 500 contacts $39.5/mo $60/mo $350/mo for 10,000 contacts
Monthly sending limit 1,000 25,000 30,000 150,000
Key features included: Essential email marketing features, landing page, forms and popups, Mailchimp branding Essential email marketing features, forms and popups, landing pages Everything in essentials plan + marketing automation features, and more Everything in standard plan + premium support, advanced segmentation, comparative reporting, and multivariate testing

Note: Mailchimp doesn’t offer any discounts for long-term plans (annual or biannual). However, they do offer a 10% security discount and a 15% nonprofit discount.

Verdict: GetResponse is more cost-effective

The best way to compare GetResponse and Mailchimp pricing is to look at individual plans side by side.

As you may remember from the beginning of the comparison, here’s how the two platforms measure against each other in terms of pricing.

# of contacts GetResponse: Email marketing plan Mailchimp: Essentials plan
500 $19/mo for 1,000 contacts $13/mo
2,500 $29/mo $39.5/mo
5,000 $54/mo $69/mo
10,000 $79/mo $100/mo
25,000 $174/mo $260/mo
50,000 $299/mo $350/mo

Note: GetResponse offers unlimited monthly sends on all paid plans. Mailchimp has a monthly email sends limit on the Essentials plan of 10x your contact list size.

# of contacts GetResponse: Marketing automation plan Mailchimp: Standard plan
500 $59/mo for 1,000 contacts $20/mo
2,500 $69/mo $60/mo
5,000 $95/mo $100/mo
10,000 $114/mo $135/mo
25,000 $215/mo $270/mo
50,000 $359/mo $410/mo

Note: GetResponse offers unlimited monthly sends on all paid plans. Mailchimp has a monthly email sends limit on the Standard plan of 20x your contact list size.

Hands down, GetResponse is more affordable than Mailchimp. 

And although these email marketing services start at roughly the same price, the difference between them just gets bigger as your list and needs expand.

One more thing to note is that Mailchimp charges you based on contacts and not just active subscribers. That means even if you have contacts who’ve not confirmed their subscription or unsubscribed, you’re actually paying for them. In GetResponse, on the other hand, you only pay for active contacts.

9. Customer support

Customer support is often a very subjective topic. Nonetheless, I decided to compare what kind of help GetResponse and Mailchimp offer.

GetResponse

GetResponse Customer Support gets an above 95% customer satisfaction rate
GetResponse Customer Support gets an above 95% customer satisfaction rate

GetResponse has won multiple awards for its Customer Service. And it’s no surprise as it got an above 95% customer satisfaction rate, an average first response time of 65 seconds, and it’s available 24/7.

Some of the awards our Customer Support Team won
Some of the awards our Customer Support Team won

The level of support varies depending on your plan:

  • Free plan: live chat and email support for the first 30 days
  • Email marketing, Marketing automation, and Ecommerce marketing:live chat 24/7 and email support
  • MAX: live chat 24/7, email support, and specialized onboarding
  • MAX2: live chat 24/7, email support, phone support, specialized onboarding, and dedicated customer experience manager

In addition to an expert team to support you, GetResponse also offers a comprehensive Help Center that’s filled with tutorials and video guides and a robust Webinar Library.

Mailchimp

Customer support is also an important part of Mailchimp’s platform. It’s got a 92% customer satisfaction rate and is available 24/7.

Mailchimp Customer Support awards and satisfaction rate of 92%
Mailchimp Customer Support awards and satisfaction rate of 92%

Depending on your plan, you’ll get a different level of support:

  • Free plan: email support for the first 30 days
  • Essentials, Standard: live chat 24/7, email support, and assisted onboarding
  • Premium: phone support, live chat 24/7, email support, dedicated onboarding

In addition, Mailchimp also offers Help Center with helpful documentation and tutorials. However, compared to GetResponse, it offers fewer video tutorials and webinars.

Verdict: Tie

In terms of support, Mailchimp and GetResponse go head to head.

The key differences are:

  • In the free plan, Mailchimp doesn’t offer live chat support, while GetResponse does.
  • In the paid plans, Mailchimp lets you schedule an assisted onboarding call, while GetResponse doesn’t.
  • In the GetResponse MAX2 plan, you’ll get a dedicated customer experience manager, which isn’t possible with Mailchimp.

No matter what platform you’ll choose, you’ll be in good hands.

Mailchimp vs. GetResponse: Conclusion 

Now that you’ve reached the end of this GetResponse Mailchimp comparison guide, it’s time you answered yourself – which email marketing service is the best for my business?

Whatever your answer may be, I suspect it will vary depending on what type of business model you have and what type of audiences you’re trying to reach.

What I hope I was able to get across with this comprehensive study of Mailchimp vs. GetResponse, is that choosing the more popular Mailchimp comes at a price.

In terms of pricing, you will almost always end up paying more for less. But more importantly, if you truly wish to customize your marketing campaigns to suit your creative ideas fully, GetResponse ultimately offers more flexibility in almost every feature area we’ve explored.

At the end of the day, most marketing trends for 2023 point to customization, especially combined with AI-powered automation, already being an absolutely essential part of a successful marketing process. Pre-configured, static workflow settings and templates are already becoming a thing of the past. 

And if you’re moving your email marketing from Mailchimp to GetResponse, I recommend that you check out our guide below:

How to move from Mailchimp to GetResponse.

How to move from Mailchimp to GetResponse

Easily move all of your online marketing from a Mailchimp account to your new GetResponse account. With help from reading this step-by-step guide, you’ll be set up in a flash!

Download guide
Editor’s note

I’ve got 10+ years of experience doing email marketing, working with brands big and small. I’ve sent countless campaigns, written dozens of articles, and am the author of the Email Marketing Benchmarks report. While writing this review, I’ve done my best to remain objective and ensure everything’s up to date as of March 2023. But please keep in mind that platforms change their offering and pricing from time to time, so you’re best to check out their pages directly.





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March 23, 2023 at 10:17AM
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3D Printed Rocket from Relativity Space Successful Blasts off

3/23/2023

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3D Printed Rocket from Relativity Space Successful Blasts off

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On March 22, 2023 at 11:25 p.m. EST, Relativity Space successfully launched the world’s first 3D printed rocket, as a part of a flight test the company named “Good Luck, Have Fun,” or GLHF. The two-stage, 110-foot-tall Terran 1 rocket took off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Launch Complex 16 in Florida after previously calling off two previously launch attempts.

The Terran 1 was made using what has been labeled as the world’s largest metal 3D printer, Relativity’s robotic directed energy deposition (DED) system, Stargate. Altogether, the vehicle is made up of 85 percent 3D printed parts. 85 percent is a significant portion of 3D printed parts for any commercial product, let alone a rocket.

The event marks a milestone for Relativity Space, founded by Blue Origin alums Tim Ellis and Jordan Noone in 2016, as the company can now begin moving toward the launch of small payloads on the Terran 1, theoretically capable of delivering up to 2,756 pounds to low Earth orbit. While the rocket was unable to reach orbit due to an “anomaly” on the second stage, the launch represents an enormous success for the additive manufacturing (AM) industry, particularly for new space application.

3D Printing for New Space

The “3D Printing in Commercial Space: The AM Ecosystem in the Private Space Industry” report from SmarTech Analysis anticipates that the private new space sector will reach $2.1 billion by 2026. Relativity Space has already achieved $1.3 billion in funding from the likes of Mark Cuban and has reported a backlog of $1.65 billion in customer launch contracts, with each ride on the Terran 1 priced at $12 million apiece. However, some of these contracts are actually for payloads to be launched on the next rocket, the Terran R, a bigger (216-foot-tall), more powerful (44,000 pounds in payload) and reusable vehicle that Relativity Space plans to start flying as early as next year. Given the sheer value of the company, with AM as its backbone, $2.1 billion in revenues by 2026 already seems like an underestimate.

Relativity Space’s Terran 1 rocket lifts off.

Relativity is nowhere near the first in the space industry to rely on 3D printing. Long a staple of prototyping, research, and development, the use of AM slowly ramped up until reaching a seeming critical mass in which a slew of new space companies began adopting it for increasingly advanced applications. Rocket Lab (Nasdaq: RKLB) has launched 33 rockets with 3D printed engines, including most recently its first from U.S. soil. In fact, it is largely the demand from new space that has resulted in the release of increasingly large and productive laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) metal 3D printers, playing a key role in what we have dubbed the “laser wars.”

All of this points to the value of AM for space applications. As the best technology for producing low volumes of high-value parts in the fastest manner, 3D printing is the most cost effective process for building critical components for space. Nowhere else in society will you see a more perfect task for AM. As a result, the new space industry is booming largely thanks to the key role of 3D printing in producing critical components.

3D Printing Beyond Space

However, Relativity Space distinguishes itself not only in the sheer mass of 3D printing in its Terran 1 rocket, but also in its manufacturing approach. DED is uniquely suited for such large structures. SmarTech’s “DED and Large-Format Additive Manufacturing Markets: 2021-2030” report sees that specific AM segment hitting $739 million in revenues by 2026.

A long exposure view of Relativity Space’s Terran 1 taking off. 

Just as everything else from space research trickles down into the rest of industrial society, Relativity Space’s technology will impact other sectors. From the jump, you can imagine anything that resembles a rocket in terms of shape, propulsion, and value to be 3D printed via DED—i.e., missiles. However, we’ll also see the technology applied to other large-scale metal structures and, because the startup has developed an automated production flow for its process, there’s more value than just big, metal things. Relativity Space has always had it in its roadmap to use its technology beyond space, so we can also envision submarine hulls and aircraft fuselages produced with Stargate and its future descendants.

Relativity Space's Stargate 4th Generation metal 3D printer

Relativity Space’s Stargate 4th Generation metal 3D printer moves horizontally instead of vertically, feeding multiple wires into a single print head. Image courtesy of Relativity Space.

For these reasons, not only will Relativity and new space be propelled by 3D printing, but so too will the AM sector and manufacturing at large.

The post 3D Printed Rocket from Relativity Space Successful Blasts off appeared first on 3DPrint.com | The Voice of 3D Printing / Additive Manufacturing.





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March 23, 2023 at 09:54AM
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Louisville Slugger Knocks it out of the Park Designing Bats with Formlabs 3D Printers

3/23/2023

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Louisville Slugger Knocks it out of the Park Designing Bats with Formlabs 3D Printers

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In 2022, historical bat brand Louisville Slugger revealed a new strategy to optimize its product, combining digital simulation for the design process and 3D motion capture technology for comprehensive baseball and softball hitting analysis. Now the brand – owned by sports giant Wilson – shares how designers and engineers at the Louisville Slugger Innovation Center in Roseville, California, use Formlabs’ industrial quality desktop Form 3+ printers to advance equipment design for some of its newest bats, like its one-piece-alloy BBCOR Atlas.

By merging traditional manufacturing methods like CNC milling, lathes, and wood patterning with modern tools like 3D printing, Slugger makes its bat manufacturing process significantly faster. As a result, it can deliver innovative new equipment designed to improve athlete analytics without long wait times between outsourced iterations.

3D printing is helping the Louisville Slugger innovation team desing better bats. Image courtesy of Louisville Slugger/Wilson.

For Slugger Innovation Center Senior Simulation and Design Engineer John Steel, the key to creating prototypes and manufacturing aids for prototype designs lies in 3D printing, particularly the Formlabs Form 3 stereolithography (SLA) 3D printer. According to Formlabs, Steel’s background influenced his choice to use 3D printing technology. One of Steel’s previous jobs taught him to combine large industrial SLA and SLS 3D prints with traditional wood patterning techniques. He then worked at a product design startup where he used two Form 1+ machines to iterate rapidly.

At Louisville Slugger, Steel is again able to merge the traditional with the modern. “We’re able to rapidly produce prototypes for quick iteration and testing. We use it every week, and if we’re working through a new design, we’ll iterate on it every day. 3D printing is a great tool to reduce the amount of time it takes to get to market. Prototyping the initial design, to problem-solving the final manufacturing,” exemplifies Steel.

3D printing is helping the Louisville Slugger innovation team desing better bats. Image courtesy of Louisville Slugger/Wilson.

The speed of iteration allows the Slugger team to release new products regularly and keep up with the demand for bats suitable for all different levels of play. This is ideal for a market that keeps growing, mainly thanks to mass customization and personalization which has slowly been gaining importance in the baseball equipment market in the U.S. So even for a brand with such a storied history as Slugger, the competition is fierce, leaving Steel and the innovation team needs to be ahead of the curve constantly. Form 3 and continuous iteration help them get those ideas to the next stage faster.

Bat grip prototypes. Image courtesy of Louisville Slugger/Wilson.

“I’ll have an idea, design it and send it to the printer in 30 minutes, then bring it to the next meeting. 3D printed visual aids are worth their weight in gold,” describes Steel. “3D printing improves team understanding of the product development process and can help eliminate any crossed wires down the road. Oftentimes when looking at 3D renderings, we lack scale. Printing parts helps when attempting to reference how something compares in size along with being able to test ergonomics and fitment into existing products.”

Although prototyping is the core use for Form 3, Steel uses the machine for other applications, including creating silicone molds and manufacturing aids. A mechanical designer and hands-on prototype builder, Steel illustrates how Form 3 allows his team to leverage many materials available for other processes. For example, forming mold positives in silicone to back pour in urethane, silicone, or epoxy. The molds are used to create final-stage prototypes that include all the eventual types of material, like urethane or epoxy, that will be used in the final, traditional manufacturing process (as seen in the image below).

Louisville Slugger team makes silicone molds. Image courtesy of Louisville Slugger/Wilson.

Before, if the engineers wanted to get silicone parts made, they needed aluminum tooling. Now they can 3D print the positive geometry, then back pour in silicone, cut the silicone mold apart, and then use the resulting negative to create other types of parts, like functional prototypes, explains Formlabs. For the team, iterating the positive and practicing the silicone pour process can illuminate flaws in the design that would otherwise take weeks of waiting and testing to uncover when outsourcing.

“SLA has a very fine fidelity and holds tight tolerances. This not only provides us with parts within spec, but it also alleviates much of the post-processing required on the mold positive. When molding, you want as smooth of a surface finish as possible on your mold positive to ease part removal from the mold. Some texturing is okay, but the grooving caused by layer stack-up is where things get tricky and the quality of the Form print layers is never an issue. Plus, post-processing these materials is super easy,” says Steel.

Looking forward, Steel says he is working on expanding the number and range of ways to use 3D printing, including in manufacturing tools, which he deems even more valuable than creating parts.

“Good equipment makes the sport more fun to play, and that’s what the Innovation Center is all about. We’re using technology like the 3D printers to keep improving, and we’re constantly looking at what’s next,” concludes Steel.

Since the Hillerich family’s first bats in the 1880s to its latest aerospace-grade carbon fiber designs, their famed Louisville Sluggers have dominated as the stick of choice for the greatest players ever. Some of the biggest names in the sport have relied on the bat’s cutting-edge heritage, like Jackie Robinson, Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio, Derek Jeter, and especially the first pro bat player ever to use Hillerich’s creation, Pete “The Louisville Slugger” Browning. With so much history, innovation, and dedication to sports, the brand is an ideal candidate for 3D printing. The technology is not only suited to sports in general but can enable the Slugger group to reduce time to market for new products, streamline its workflow, improve productivity, and help drive greater control over its manufacturing.

Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory

The post Louisville Slugger Knocks it out of the Park Designing Bats with Formlabs 3D Printers appeared first on 3DPrint.com | The Voice of 3D Printing / Additive Manufacturing.





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March 23, 2023 at 09:54AM
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USPS Service Performance Holds Steady at 2.5 Days

3/23/2023

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USPS Service Performance Holds Steady at 2.5 Days

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WASHINGTON — The United States Postal Service reported new delivery performance metrics for the 11th week of the second quarter for fiscal year 2023 showing consistent or improved delivery performance across all mail categories. The average time for the Postal Service to deliver a mailpiece or package across the nation remained at just 2.5 days.



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March 23, 2023 at 08:34AM
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Biden Admin Issues National Security Guardrails for CHIPS Act Advanced Manufacturing Income Tax Credit

3/23/2023

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Biden Admin Issues “National Security Guardrails” for CHIPS Act Advanced Manufacturing Income Tax Credit

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On March 21-22, the second most powerful public official in China, Li Qiang, hosted an advanced manufacturing forum, where he stated that the Chinese government will ramp up its support of the infrastructure required to support such manufacturing. Also on March 21, the Biden administration issued two interrelated pieces of guidance — one from the Department of Commerce (DOC), the other from the Department of the Treasury (DOT) — concerning the CHIPS Act’s Advanced Manufacturing Investment Credit (CHIPS ITC).

The relationship between the two events happening on opposite sides of the globe resides in the provision of the CHIPS Incentives Program that prohibits recipients of CHIPS funding from investing in the growth of semiconductor manufacturing in four named “foreign countries of concern”: China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea. Additionally, regarding the CHIPS funding itself, recipients are prohibited from spending those funds anywhere but in the US. Finally, the most broad-sweeping (and vague) provision: CHIPS fund recipients will be barred against “engaging in joint research or technology licensing efforts with a foreign entity of concern that relates to a technology or product that raises national security concerns.”

Thus, advanced manufacturing companies, including all the businesses in the 3D printing sector, will have to do serious due diligence to make sure they can benefit from the CHIPS ITC, which the DOT press release notes “is generally available for qualified property that began construction after enactment of the CHIPS Act (August 9, 2022) and placed in service after December 31, 2022.” This means that companies that invest in the Intel plant in Ohio, for instance, will qualify for the CHIPS ITC — as long as they also meet the stringent foreign policy requirements, dubbed the “national security guardrails” by the DOC.

The danger for companies is not just that they will miss out on receiving funds, but that they could have funding clawed back at any point in the future, “if within 10 years of claiming the credit a taxpayer (or affiliates) engages in a significant transaction that materially expands the semiconductor manufacturing capacity of the taxpayer” in one of the blacklisted countries. So, to feel fully comfortable, companies that are serious about wanting to receive CHIPS funding would essentially need to make sure their business models can comply with a wholesale ban on doing business with China (along with the other three countries, but China is clearly the relevant one). That’s not easy!

Groundbreaking at the Intel semiconductor plant in Ohio, in September, 2022

There are countless interesting things going on here. Personally, I don’t care for the “malign actors” rhetoric, but at the same time, I don’t really buy it. Gina Raimondo is also frequently on the record saying more sensible things about China.

The most interesting part is the fact that the statute referred to in the policy guidance specifically prevents CHIPS ITC recipients from “expanding” the semiconductor sectors in the four banned countries. This implies that the existing semiconductor business relationships that US companies have with companies in China are presumably okay. This means that the point of the restrictions, as well as the funding, is really to prevent American companies, as much as is possible, from contributing to the creation of any new advanced manufacturing infrastructure in places other than the US.

Along these lines, this is essentially a mechanism for legally mandating an acceleration of the reshoring of US manufacturing. And that, itself, is mainly related to long-term resource scarcity, which will eventually necessitate the end of rampant overproduction and ever-increasing dependence on cheap goods being shipped in from all ends of the earth.

Image courtesy of Intel

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March 23, 2023 at 08:26AM
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NextFlex Promises $4.4M Funding to Advancing FHE and Electronics 3D Printing

3/23/2023

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NextFlex Promises $4.4M Funding to Advancing FHE and Electronics 3D Printing

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Since its launch in 2015, NextFlex has been behind much of the R&D in the flexible hybrid electronics (FHE) industry in the U.S. This Silicon Valley-based consortium of companies, academic institutions, nonprofits, and government agencies – like the Department of Defense (DOD) – is staying ahead of the curve on new technologies and continues its ongoing efforts to develop FHE innovations that will accelerate its adoption in the U.S. while serving the nation’s warfighters. In addition, thanks to its expansion strategy, the organization has announced a $4.4 million investment towards electronics manufacturing projects thanks to its latest Project Call funding round, PC 8.0.

Fulfilling one of the institute’s primary goals, fostering technology innovation and commercialization, Project Call 8.0 seeks to fund undertakings that further the development and adoption of FHE while addressing critical challenges in advanced manufacturing that support DOD priorities. According to the manufacturing institute, the total PC 8.0 project value is expected to exceed $9.4 million, bringing the total anticipated investment in advancing FHE since NextFlex’s formation to $134 million. Additional committed project funding from the DOD, other federal funding agencies, industry projects, and state and local government initiatives adds another $165.1 million.

One of the teams chosen for the PC 7.0 award developed stretchable and wearable data cables for many on-body network applications. Image courtesy of UES via LinkedIn.

Building from the success and maturity of past project calls, PC 8.0 continues using broadly defined topics to enable a diverse base of proposals, with particular emphasis on areas in which FHE can impact high-priority U.S. manufacturing opportunities. For the eighth year, the research institute will award funding to projects from member and non-member companies seeking to develop the U.S. advanced electronics industry through defense applications and increased adoption of hybrid electronics.

This year, PC 8.0 funding will go to projects targeting these topic areas:

  • Additively manufactured 3D devices with increased complexity
  • High-performance FHE interconnects
  • Applications in harsh environments, including space
  • Advancing the manufacturability of FHE processes toward standardization
  • Reducing environmental and climate impacts of FHE manufacturing
  • New project leads

“This new funding opportunity carries the momentum from previous project calls to elevate the level of sophistication of FHE-enabled devices, extend hybrid electronic manufacturing process capability, and enhance environmental sustainability,” said Scott Miller, NextFlex Director of Technology. “As FHE technology’s potential has been more fully demonstrated, we are now able to focus on meeting the reliability, standardization, and advancing technology transition into the U.S. industrial manufacturing base.”

Flexible hybrid electronics manufacturing. Image courtesy of NextFlex.

With most funding from the government, research institutes, and investment firms, FHE remains an emerging sector. It combines the flexibility of low-cost printed plastic film substrates with semiconductor chips to create a new type of electronics. NextFlex is accelerating this method of creating flexible, stretchable, and conformable devices with electronic capabilities using additive manufacturing. Once commercialized, FHE devices and components will help in several critical application areas, including the Internet of Things (IoT) and wearable industries.

Launched through a $171 million cooperative agreement between the DOD and the NextFlex institute, NextFlex claims its taking critical steps toward furthering U.S. development and adoption of FHE that will revolutionize society. One of the recent big wins for local R&D and manufacturing was the 2022 CHIPS act which includes roughly $52 billion to boost domestic semiconductor research and development and is being called a “once-in-a-generation investment in America itself” by the Biden administration.

According to NextFlex’s Executive Director Malcolm Thompson, the signing of the CHIPS Act “signals some positive signs for the future.” With significant companies investing tens of billions of dollars into manufacturing and a federal allotment for R&D, the country can start regaining ground in the chips industry, the expert stated in a recent edition of I-Connect007.

Reclaiming semiconductor manufacturing is crucial, especially since the U.S. share of global manufacturing fell to 12% in 2020 from 37% in 1990, according to the Semiconductor Industry Association. In comparison, the New York Times suggests that China’s share of manufacturing rose to 15% from almost nothing in the same period.

Flexible hybrid electronics manufacturing. Image courtesy of NextFlex.

Devoted to promoting FHE technology advances, NextFlex has also released its latest FHE Technology Roadmaps for the year. Detailing opportunities and needs in eleven electronics technical areas, including automotive, human monitoring systems, and soft wearable robotics, the document offers key insights, gap areas, and project calls to advance the manufacturability of FHE. The public roadmaps can be accessed here.

Additional information about NextFlex’s PC 8.0 topics, proposal submission procedures, and more will be introduced during the Proposer’s Day and Teaming Event on Tuesday, March 28, at the NextFlex Winter FHE Symposium. Anyone interested can register for the symposium to participate or submit slides for the Teaming Event. Proposals are due May 11, 2023.

The post NextFlex Promises $4.4M Funding to Advancing FHE and Electronics 3D Printing appeared first on 3DPrint.com | The Voice of 3D Printing / Additive Manufacturing.





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March 23, 2023 at 08:26AM
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Killer 3D Printing Applications: Specialty Vehicles Part One

3/23/2023

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Killer 3D Printing Applications: Specialty Vehicles, Part One

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If we look at the past three decades of deploying additive manufacturing (AM) in the real world, we can find a few killer applications that have commercialized technologies and spread 3D printing globally. But, what will be the next big AM application? After prototyping, jewelry molds, dental crowns and bridges, invisible aligners, orthopedic implants, jigs and fixtures, and housings, what will be the next 3D printing application that produces millions of parts and billions in value? My first educated guess was in the rather exotic area of horse trailers. Today, we will be looking at a broader and bigger opportunity: specialty vehicles.

Specialty Vehicle Market Overview

Specialty vehicles represent a big net, kind of a grab bag, really. What is mostly meant by the phrase “specialty vehicle” is any kind of vehicle that has been customized to fit a particular work purpose: ambulances and fire trucks; mobile veterinary, medical, and prosthetic clinics and blood donor vans; police command, SWAT, bomb disposal, crime lab, riot police, and detainee vehicles; utility and specialty trade trucks; and other miscellaneous vehicles, like urban electric trollies, food trucks, safari jeeps, VIP vans, refrigerated vans, and mobile classrooms. We would not consider custom cars or military vehicles as a part of this segment.

A mobile dental office by Bush.

On the whole, a donor vehicle is usually a bare bones truck or van supplied by firms such as Daimler, Iveco, Ford, Nissan, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, Toyota (Hino), Dongfeng, GM and others. Some come from specialized commercial vehicle companies. Meanwhile, in some cases, companies play in adjacent markets such as heavy trucks (Iveco), while others are a part of large automotive groups or large capital goods companies like Exor. The vehicles themselves can be small truck manufacturers (Ranger), small panel vans (Volkswagen Caddy), large panel vans (Fiat Ducato or MAN TGE), or full-sized U.S. vans (Ford Econoline, Ram Promaster, Chevy Express). Estimates on market size differ between around $90 and $130 billion in revenue globally. Growth is expected to be slow: low single digits.

Specialty Vehicle Market Dynamics and Considerations

On the donor vehicle side, manufacturers  are some of the world’s biggest, multi-billion-dollar automotive companies. Customization is performed by much smaller firms, however, often with revenues below $50 million. Some businesses are local car shops with a little more wherewithal, while other operations are specialized manufacturers with specific production equipment. Specialized companies are rampant, but some small firms customize just about anything that comes their way. Often businesses have very established brands in their own niches.

Often customers are companies wanting one or a few vehicles that must be outfitted just so. In other cases, vehicles are made using general patterns and ideas, but with local customized elements. Police departments, SWAT teams, or hotdog businesses can be one of the diverse clients in these cases. The largest customers are companies such as FedEx, UPS, and the U.S. Postal Service. There are other medium-sized clients, such as Snap On for its tool vans which are now made by LDV. Mostly, however, individual orders are low volume. For emergency vehicles, one standard is sold with many custom elements for local hospitals or other companies.

Players

Cummins and other engine firms play a role in the market, as well. Engines may be bundled with existing chassis, while other times these are options. Some companies build their own chassis, mainly in the firetruck segment. Typically, an integrator will allow customers to choose from several different donor vehicles from a variety of suppliers. However, companies, such as Gruau Group, work with 24 different vehicle brands. Meanwhile, Bush allows customers to choose from 101 different automobile models. There are also suppliers making pumps, generators, and all manner of kit that gets used extensively by integrators. There are specialized regional dealers for these vehicles, but a lot of sales are direct.

Most of the integration companies are indeed small, but some are larger, such as Morgan Olson, which specializes in step vans, a particular type of delivery van. This company is owned by JB Pointdexter & Co., whose subsidiaries include truck cap manufacturer LEER, tool van interior provider MasterRack, alongside a firm dedicated to hearses, among others.

With $2.3 billion in revenues, REV Group (XNYS: REVG) is a consolidator that has bought storied companies such as Ferrara, Ladder Tower, KME and others to secure a solid position in manufacturing fire, rescue, and ambulance vehicles in the U.S. REV also makes oft-used component assemblies, such as the Per4Max seatbelt set up for paramedics. The Shyft Group (NASDAQ: SHYF) has $676 million in revenue and backlogs of close to $1 billion. Rosenbauer has revenues of over $1 billion along with backlogs of over $1 billion. Pierce is owned by truck and military giant Oshkosh. Sutphen meanwhile is a family firm that has been in business for over 133 years.

REV Group and Rosenbaur have revenue per employee ratios of a little less than $400,000. Shyftt more than doubles this. GM and Ford, however, have a revenue per employee of $800,000, while other firms, such as Kia and BWM, have much higher employee-revenue ratios. On the whole, we can assume that, comparatively, a lot of labor is going into this segment while they have comparatively little of the Tier 1, 2 and 3 OEM support that the large automakers can rely on.

Overall, we can see operating margins of 1% or 3% in this market, which is not great. Shyftt has operating margins of 8%, which is good for this segment but scary in others. Similar companies with stronger market positions, such as Caterpillar and John Deere, have operating margins of around 15%.

Regional Considerations

The Ford Transit is a rare global donor platform.

The market is intensely national, with vehicle regulations and local donor vehicle market share governing designs and the sector as a whole. Ford and other firms are active in several areas, but often with very different vehicles and configurations. Understandably, businesses are trying to make single vehicle models more prevalent globally. However, so far, Ford Super Duty Chassis Cab is a big part of Ford’s U.S. commercial vehicle offering, but absent in other regions. Meanwhile, the small Ford E-Transit van and small panel Transit Connect van is being pushed worldwide, while the Transit Courier is more aimed at Europe. Ford’s large Transit is everywhere, but the F-59 Commercial Stripped Chassis is very much a U.S. product.

The Ford Company also makes The Ford Company also makes the F-59 Stripped Chassis for the U.S. Market

Local regulations are often very specific, especially for emergency vehicles. In some Latin American and Asian countries, an ambulance is a van with a bed that is meant to get you to the hospital quickly. U.S. ambulances are much bigger, have much more equipment, and travel much slower. European ambulances differ per nation and vacillate between these two extremes. There is no such thing as an archetypical ambulance.

Clients are different as well, with health systems buying or specifying ambulances extensively in Europe and individual commercial ambulance companies commissioning them elsewhere. In the U.S. there are also three types of ambulance: one is a truck-style vehicle with a container on the back; the other is a van-based vehicle; and the other is larger van still with better egress. There are also local specializations, such as Bariatric ambulances for extremely overweight people, and cardiac ambulances. There are some international standards, such as the EN 1789:2020 for medical vehicles, but a lot of the regulatory landscape is very local.

This is a typically US type of van on a Ford chassis

Trends in the Specialty Vehicle Market

Electrification and hybrid vehicles are a definite trend in this market. LED lighting, more computers, screens and automation on board is also visible. There’s little in breakthrough products or manufacturing innovation. Its easier to see a company like Beckhoff making loads of money from this market as it goes into a more digital realm. The first electric firetruck cost $1.2 million configured over a base price of 900,000. Electrification will be an opportunity but it is unclear how much this will be a nice to do kind of thing for wealthy or big communities for a long while. Electrification of electric commuter bus systems would bring real benefits in noise and pollution reduction that would be of limited concern in fire fighting. Meanwhile electrification means that a lot of the ticket is going to Panasonic, Bosch and the like. The investments needed to transition seem considerable as well. Things such as blind spot detection and more cameras and sensors are also trends. More modular construction ideas that enable lower cost customization is also happening. There is some use of customization software but usually sales and customization happen in person. In some cases there are over a 100,000 different options.

In the next post in this series, I will look more at how these vehicles are made and where 3D printing can come in to disrupt the market.

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March 23, 2023 at 08:26AM
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