3DPOD Episode 36: Fried Vancraen, CEO Materialise, Part II

Fried Vancraen is one of my favorite people in 3D printing. It was a pleasure working for him years ago, as well. I was therefore especially happy that Vancraen chose to come back to the 3DPod once again, as Max and I really enjoyed his initial talk. This time, Vancraen talks to us about some past things that he’s experienced in terms of exciting moments and career highlights. Max asks him if he thought Materialise would be as successful as it is. Vancraen also talks about Materialise’s Five Year Plans and reveals that, during the next one, he will be looking for a successor. We also mention that very many people at Materialise have been with the firm a very long time and that this may have aided the company’s success. We talk about the market outlook for 3D printing and Materialise, as well. Vancraen mentions some interesting developments, such as Rapid Fit’s adoption with fixtures and components for electric cars, medical printing advancements, and the firm’s continued COVID response. We discuss flying cars and the entrepreneurial activity going on there, as well. Other topics include bioabsorbable PCL trachea implants and why Vancraen thinks that it’s too soon for the company to invest in bioprinting. Vancraen discusses adding value and how Materialise has been extremely lucky as a company. He talks about disappointing customers and firing people. Max and I really enjoyed this talk a lot and Fried’s thoughtful answers have a depth and humanism that really made us savor this episode.