Emerging Manufacturer of 2015
Seattle Business magazine honored Fathom, among 18 other pioneering companies at their annual Washington Manufacturing Awards gala last night, April 29, at the Museum of Flight. The event attracted 300 leaders from across the state. Fathom went into the ceremony as a finalist for the Washingtons Emerging Manufacturing Company of the Year and arose as the categorys winner. “The Fathom team in Seattle is honored—we really appreciate this award and the recognition,” stated Dylan Oliver, General Manager at Fathom, in a press release. “Our team is focused on time compression by helping companies accelerate their product development process by blending leading edge technologies like additive manufacturing and 3D printing with legacy manufacturing methodologies. The equipment and services we provide help industry leading companies go from concept, to prototype, to manufacturing, in a way that wasn’t previously possible.”
In 2014, Fathom ranked for second year in a row on both the annual Inc. 500|5000 list of fastest growing private companies in the United States. The manufacturer also ranked NO. 2—leading as NO. 1 in the manufacturing industry category—on the list of ICIC’s 100 fastest-growing inner city companies in America.
Excited to accept the Emerging Manufacturer award last night on Fathom’s behalf, Oliver further elaborates on what this honor means to the team in todays blog post. Be sure to check Fathom out in Seattle Business after you read the interview.
Dylan Seattle Business Fathom 3D Printing MFG Award
Fathom has been ranked by INC 500 | 5000, San Francisco Business Times and the Inner City 100 — what was your initial reaction upon hearing that Fathom was selected for the Emerging Manufacturer Award?
Oliver: Having opened our current additive manufacturing facility in Seattle less than a year and half ago, I am proud of our team for earning this recognition so soon. A lot of work and planning went into establishing our Seattle office and production center. We focus on products and solutions that help companies increase productivity and innovation, so being honored like this really validates what we are doing and the direction we are moving in.
Fathom is a preferred reseller of Stratasys 3D printers and additive manufacturing systems, equipment purchased by industry-leading companies all throughout the Pacific Northwest — what factors have helped Fathom standout among the technologically innovative crowd of the Pacific Northwest?
Oliver: I would say it has to do with our knowledge, experience and continued investment in the technology that we sell. The 3D printing service portion of our business hinges on the success and performance of the same equipment we recommend to our customers. Our experts leverage FDM and PolyJet technologies from Stratasys every day for application across all types of industries, from medical to aerospace to electronics and everything in between. That hands-on experience enables us to offer the highest level of support, customer service and advice.
3D printing has long been used for creating rapid prototypes, but users are rethinking how to use these technologies, creating all sorts of 3D printed parts for end-use — how do you see the role of additive manufacturing evolving over the coming years, particularly in the Greater Seattle Area?
Oliver: It will continue to become more and more the norm, rather than the exception. You will see additive solutions to problems in a broader sense across markets. 3D printing will be a standard procedure from a product development standpoint, but will be increasingly leveraged on the back end of development for quick-turn tooling, as well as for jigs and fixtures. The same additive manufacturing equipment used to prototype your products will also produce the holding fixtures for assembly, measurement and packaging. This paradigm shift in the manufacturing industry is thrilling and its even more exciting to be part of a company like Fathom who is at the forefront of this technological advancement.
