Type A Machine - Lesson from a Defunct Client
3D Printing Pioneer Type A Machines closed down in 2018 – a victim of a rapidly thickening growth market – but there is still plenty to be gleaned from the innovative arc of their entrepreneurial enterprise. Boca Bearings initially profiled them in 2014, while they were in full ascent. We spoke with the founders about their goals and successes, and captured much of it on video.
The video clearly captures the entrepreneurial drive that had spurred Type A Machines to rapid growth and success. After all, it is not everyone that will spend what little money they have left on an expensive item, and then take it apart and re-engineer it.
In retrospect, the profile also highlights the insanely fine line entrepreneurs must walk between quality and profitability while driving innovation. As any good company must be, Type A Machines was deeply focused upon the future. They saw the value of “desktop” 3D printing early on, and had moved on to envisioning a future where 3D Printers would be found in classrooms around the world. They invested in a workspace they could vastly expand, and they poured their passion into producing the best 3D Printers available.
In the era of “planned obsolescence,” Type A Machines wanted to sell products that were “future-proof.” Machines that could be upgraded, rather than replaced. They won awards for their innovations, and they hoped that their customers would appreciate their quality, and recommend them to others.
After all, this is how they had grown from a startup to an award-winning business.
This is easy for a company like Boca Bearings to understand. We also sell products that are built to outlast and out-perform our competition. We don’t sell bearings that we know you’ll need to replace soon. We sell bearings that we expect to last a lifetime.
In the video profile, founder Andrew Rutter explains why he relies upon Boca Bearings to supply essential parts for the products they produce. “You want to be the only thing they never have to worry about, and we have never had to worry about Boca Bearings as a supplier,” he says. To which CEO Espen Silvertsen adds: “We like them as people.”
Boca Bearings has been in business since 1987. Like Type A Machines, we are also dedicated to bringing the absolute best products to our customers. While this dedication may not always support our bottom line, we remain steadfast in our commitment to providing the best possible product to our customers. And we thank you for appreciating it.