Fraunhofer Institute for Computer Graphics Research IGDThreedy GmbH
Threedy’s mission is to accelerate and simplify industrial 3D design processes. A spin-off from Fraunhofer IGD in 2021, the company now employs 25 people. We spoke to Johannes Behr, co-founder and chief product officer (CPO) of Threedy.
What is Threedy’s core business?
Right now, Threedy’s customers are mainly in manufacturing, especially the automotive industry. They leverage our technology to speed up digital transformation. Our software enables thousands of teams to collaborate on design work, develop 3D tools, and accelerate time-to-market for their end products. What’s more, this is all possible with a single software solution, so we can improve quality while significantly cutting costs.
How did you make that possible?
By fully automating manual processes and sub-processes. We offer an end-to-end solution rather than support for individual steps. This means our customers don’t have to convert or reduce their data, or implement new processes for specific end-user devices—they can simply leverage their original data. Our software automatically provisions the application for multiple platforms and end points, from web browsers to HoloLens headsets.
Who are your target customers?
We continue to partner primarily with automotive players—after all, we began our development work at Fraunhofer IGD five years ago in cooperation with BMW, Daimler, and Porsche. But we’re now active in other fields as well, such as plant engineering.
How has Threedy fared during the pandemic?
With more people working from home, companies have ramped up digital connectivity. This has been to our benefit, as our platform supports virtual collaboration via 3D spaces. Our marketing and recruitment people had it far tougher, particularly as many in-person events were canceled.
What are the latest developments at Threedy?
We are always looking for ways to enable customers to put our versatile technology to use sooner. The most recent example is an IOS app that allows faster distribution of customer data and applications. We have also been pressing ahead with our cloud strategy. In fact, to serve all our new contacts, we plan to almost double our workforce over the next 18 months. In addition, we are preparing to address new target markets.