Complete manufacturing depth at 1zu1: Successful integration into the international Prototal Group

1-to-1 with headquarters in Dornbirn is the largest company of the Swedish Prototal Group. It enriches the international portfolio with premium quality in 3D printing, vacuum, and injection molding.

High-tech companies 1zu1 and owner Prototal aim for 10 percent growth in Dornbirn next year. The group-wide revenue is expected to double by 2025. In the picture (from left to right): Hannes Hämmerle (Managing Director 1zu1), Jan Löfving (CEO Prototal), and Wolfgang Humml (Managing Director 1zu1).

The Dornbirn-based high-tech company 1zu1 is planning to expand into new markets in Central and Northern Europe. New materials, state-of-the-art machinery, and the group-wide range of services enable the production of everything from 3D-printed prototypes to millions of injection-molded parts for the first time. After a sales increase of around ten percent in 2022, a further ten percent growth is planned for 2023. Founder and Managing Director Wolfgang Humml will retire at the end of 2023.

Ten percent growth for 1zu1 in Dornbirn next year, doubling the entire Prototal group by 2025: The international corporate network based in Sweden is on its way to becoming the largest 3D printing provider in Central and Northern Europe. 1zu1 is already one of the leading specialists in the DACH region and reports on nearly ten months as part of the group. "We enrich Prototal with our premium quality, learn from each other, and benefit from the enormous manufacturing depth from prototypes to series of millions. This globally available overall offering is unique," says 1zu1 Managing Director Hannes Hämmerle.

The integration went according to plan. Delivery security, know-how transfer, international sales networks, and accelerated material introductions promoted an economic upward trend at 1zu1 even in the first year as a Prototal member. After 2021, the company expects a sales increase of around ten percent again in 2022. Next year, a further ten percent increase is planned — and staffing will also be increased. "We continue to grow and will invest our profits at the Dornbirn site in the future," Hämmerle is pleased to say.

The freedom in corporate management is one of Prototal's success factors, as CEO Jan Löfving emphasizes: "We coordinate and support the further development of well-functioning companies. All Prototal companies share a high quality standard. 1zu1 stands for the top quality segment within the group. We can now also offer these highly precise services in other countries and markets." By 2025, Prototal aims to explore new markets through acquisitions of innovative companies and to complement existing ones. The goal is to serve customers across Europe throughout the entire product lifecycle in all group technologies: 3D printing, vacuum casting, and injection molding.

Knowledge transfer, softening, and sustainability

Best-practice examples like the ERP software developed by 1zu1 increase efficiency within the group. "We benefit from the network, and the other locations benefit from us. Together, we are stronger," says Managing Director Wolfgang Humml. The company founder will retire at the end of 2023 after more than 26 years. Until then, he will support the group-wide implementation of the ERP program and the smooth handover of production, HR, IT, as well as quality assurance and management functions. From 2024, co-founder Hannes Hämmerle will lead the company as sole Managing Director with an expanded leadership team.

The benefits of the network will also be utilized by 1zu1 in the future regarding sustainability. "The entire plastics industry will have to increasingly address climate protection in the future. We want to lead and shape this," explains Hämmerle. The group already uses bio-based materials in 3D printing, while in Sweden, the use of post-consumer recycled material (PCR) is being promoted. Not least, the locations from Norway to Italy ensure shorter transport routes to customers.