Materialise to Accelerate Digital Transformation in the Footcare Industry
October 29 2020 - 5:35AM
Materialise NV (Nasdaq: MTLS), a global leader in 3D printing
solutions, today announced the signing of an agreement to fully
acquire the RSscan dynamic foot measurement technology and
the Phits personalized insole product line. The company also
announced a strengthening of its strategic partnership with
Superfeet to accelerate the distribution of the RSscan
intelligent foot measurement solutions and the personalized Phits
insoles in North America.
Materialise, which already owned 50% of RS Print, the owner of
the Phits personalized insole product line, will acquire the
remaining shares of the company from its partner Superfeet,
Inc. Materialise will further purchase substantially all the
assets of the Superfeet company RSscan, a pioneer and market leader
in the development and supply of intelligent foot measurement
technology and systems. By bringing the RS Print and RSscan
technology under one roof, Materialise intends to accelerate its
R&D and product development efforts for the personalization of
footcare and to build a more comprehensive suite of solutions for
footcare experts and their patients.
The acquisition combines Materialise’s 30 years of experience in
the development of meaningful applications of 3D printing, in
particular in the healthcare sector, with the extensive experience
of the RS Print and RSscan teams in the development of personalized
solutions for the footcare sector. Through the acquisition,
Materialise welcomes an experienced research and development team
conducting advanced research in foot measurement, analysis and
corrections. The acquisition also expands Materialise's scanning
and analysis technology with RSscan’s laboratory with advanced 3D
motion tracking, gait analysis, finite element analysis and
complementary test equipment.
In addition to the acquisition, Materialise also announced a
strengthening of its strategic partnership with Superfeet through a
new collaboration. The partnership builds on Superfeet’s reputation
and marketing network in the insole market, in particular in North
America, with a view to accelerating the digital transformation of
the footcare industry. Superfeet is committed to accelerating the
installation of pressure plate measurement systems in North
America, in collaboration with RS Print’s existing distributor
GO4D, to extend its US point-of-care network.
“3D printing and design technology have great potential to help
both consumers and healthcare professionals improve comfort, health
and performance through personalized footcare,” said Fried
Vancraen, CEO and founder of Materialise. “Building on our
expertise in providing intelligent planning tools and customized
devices to healthcare professionals, we very much look forward to
offering similar science-based digital measurement tools and
personalized solutions to footcare professionals and sports experts
that deal with foot or gait problems. I am particularly excited
that we have succeeded in strengthening our strategic partnership
with Superfeet in such a way that both partners will be able to
fully concentrate on their individual strengths.”
“We have worked with Materialise to develop the innovative RS
Print system for 3D printed insoles, delivering thousands of
products to improve customers’ comfort, health and performance,”
said John Rauvola, CEO of Superfeet. “We’re happy to extend this
partnership to meet growing demands in personalization and to bring
this technology to an even broader community in the future.”
The acquisition, which is subject to conditions that are typical
for this type of transaction, is expected to close on November 20,
2020. Materialise will provide more details about these
transactions during its Q3 2020 earnings call later
today.
About MaterialiseMaterialise incorporates three decades
of 3D printing experience into a range of software solutions and 3D
printing services, which together form the backbone of the 3D
printing industry. Materialise’s open and flexible solutions enable
players in a wide variety of industries, including healthcare,
automotive, aerospace, art and design, and consumer goods, to build
innovative 3D printing applications that aim to make the world a
better and healthier place. Headquartered in Belgium, with branches
worldwide, Materialise combines the largest group of software
developers in the industry with one of the largest 3D printing
facilities in the world. For additional information, please visit:
www.materialise.com.
About Superfeet For more than 40 years, Pacific
Northwest-based Superfeet has been creating innovative products
featuring the highly-regarded Superfeet® shape, helping millions of
people worldwide experience unparalleled comfort, pain relief and
performance. Best known for their wide variety of
over-the-counter insoles, today, through the latest advancements in
3D-printing technology, Superfeet is taking insoles and footwear
from mass-produced products to individualized, made-for-you
solutions. A 100% employee-owned company, Superfeet gives 1% of
sales and countless volunteer hours to help others shape a strong
foundation for a healthy future. For more, visit superfeet.com.
Cautionary Statement on Forward-Looking Statements Some
of the statements in this press release are “forward-looking” and
are made pursuant to the safe harbor provision of the Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking
statements include statements relating to, among other things,
Materialise's pending acquisition of the remaining 50% interest in
RS Print and the assets of RSscan and the collaboration between
Materialise and Superfeet, including the expected timing of the
closing of the acquisition and the expected solutions and benefits
from the acquisition and the collaboration. These forward-looking
statements are based upon the expectations of management under
current assumptions at the time of this press release. Materialise
cautions you that forward-looking statements are not guarantees of
future performance and involve known and unknown risks,
uncertainties and other factors that are in some cases beyond
Materialise's control that may cause Materialise's actual results
to differ materially from its expectations. Materialise is
providing this information as of the date of this press release and
does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking
statements contained in this press release as a result of new
information, future events or otherwise, unless Materialise has
obligations under the federal securities laws to update and
disclose material developments related to previously disclosed
information.
Bram Smits
Materialise
bram.smits@materialise.be
Press
Materialise
press@materialise.com
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