Boston based Desktop Metal, announced today it will become a publicly listed company in order to accelerate its growth trajectory within the rapidly growing additive manufacturing market and capitalize on the strong secular tailwinds supporting the reshoring of manufacturing and supply chain flexibility. The Company has signed a definitive business combination agreement with Trine Acquisition Corp., a special purpose acquisition company led by Leo Hindery, Jr., and HPS Investment Partners, a global credit investment firm with over $60 billion in assets under management. Upon closing of the transaction, the combined operating company will be named Desktop Metal, Inc. and will continue to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange and trade under the ticker symbol “DM.”
The additive manufacturing industry grew at a 20 percent annual compound rate between 2006 and 2016 before accelerating to 25 percent compound annual growth over the last 3 years, a rate that is expected to continue over the next decade as the market surges from $12 billion in 2019 to an estimated $146 billion in 2030. This market inflection is being driven by a shift in applications from design prototyping and tooling to mass production of end-use parts, enabled by the emergence of what Desktop Metal refers to as “Additive Manufacturing 2.0,” a wave of next-generation additive manufacturing technologies that unlock throughput, repeatability, and competitive part costs. These solutions feature key innovations across printers, materials, and software and pull additive manufacturing into direct competition with conventional processes used to manufacture $12 trillion in goods annually.
Desktop Metal’s cash on hand after giving effect to the transaction will enable the Company to capitalize on its position at the forefront of Additive Manufacturing 2.0 by accelerating the Company’s rapid growth and product development efforts. The Company will also use the proceeds to support constructive consolidation in the additive manufacturing industry.
Led by an experienced team with deep operational and scientific pedigree, Desktop Metal has distribution in more than 60 countries around the world and broad adoption from leading companies spanning array of industries, including automotive, consumer products, industrial automation, medical devices, and aerospace & defense.
Desktop Metal is ready to rapidly deploy its full suite of additive manufacturing solutions to existing and new customers on a global basis. The Company’s broad product portfolio includes the Studio System™, an office-friendly metal 3D printing system for low volume production, which has been shipping in volume for more than a year, as well as the new Shop System™ for mid-volume manufacturing and its continuous fiber composite printer, Fiber™, both of which are expected to ship in the fourth quarter of 2020. The Company’s Production System™, which has begun shipping to early customers and is expected to ship in volume in the second half of 2021, is designed to be the fastest way to 3D print metal parts at-scale, achieving print speeds up to 100x faster than legacy technologies and delivering thousands of parts per day at costs competitive with traditional manufacturing.
“We are at a major inflection point in the adoption of additive manufacturing, and Desktop Metal is leading the way in this transformation,” said Co-founder, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of Desktop Metal, Ric Fulop. “Our solutions are designed for both massive throughput and ease of use, enabling organizations of all sizes to make parts faster, more cost effectively, and with higher levels of complexity and sustainability than ever before. We are energized to make our debut as a publicly traded company and begin our partnership with Trine, which will provide the resources to accelerate our go-to-market efforts and enhance our relentless efforts in R&D.”
Leo Hindery, Jr., Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of TRNE added, “After evaluating more than 100 companies, we identified Desktop Metal as the most unique and compelling opportunity, a company that we believe is primed to be the leader in a rapidly growing industry thanks to their substantial technology moat, deep customer relationships across diverse end-markets, and impressive, recurring unit economics. Ric has put together an exceptional team and board of directors with whom we are excited to partner to create the only publicly traded pure-play Additive Manufacturing 2.0 company.”
Tom Wasserman, Director of TRNE and Managing Director of HPS Investment Partners added, “We are thrilled to partner with Ric and Desktop Metal to help the Company achieve its goals and capture the massive Additive Manufacturing 2.0 opportunity. Thanks to its tremendous team, we believe Desktop Metal has incredible potential for future growth, which will only be accelerated by the extensive financial resources provided by this transaction.”
