Additive Manufacturing
Execution System
Built GE’s additive execution network in partnership with Link3D, helping transform them into the industry's first true additive MES — acquired for 90x revenue by Materialise.
While at GE Business Innovations (Ventures), I led the creation of an Additive Manufacturing Execution System (MES) strategy across GE’s industrial businesses and portfolio companies.
I partnered with Link3D to evolve their early-stage marketplace into a full-stack MES platform, co-developing features that increased additive capacity, utilization, and production throughput across GE’s global R&D and prototyping labs.
The result: industry adoption, strategic differentiation — and a 90x revenue acquisition by Materialise.
The Challenge
GE was investing heavily in additive manufacturing, but capacity was fragmented and utilization across its R&D ecosystem was suboptimal. There was no unified view of machine schedules, material traceability, or production visibility across its global footprint. The additive software market lacked a credible MES layer — leaving GE’s industrial businesses and ventures to rely on brittle workarounds and spreadsheets.
My Role
Strategy & Ecosystem Design
Defined GE’s additive MES strategy, bridging the gap between internal R&D needs and external innovation. Worked cross-functionally across GE Additive, Aviation, Power, and Healthcare to map pain points and create a unified execution layer.Product Partnership with Link3D
Identified Link3D as a high-potential partner and led a deep co-development engagement. Worked directly with their product leadership to evolve their offering from a transactional marketplace to a true additive MES — including scheduling, traceability, order routing, and analytics.Product Roadmap Influence
Contributed to the definition and prioritization of core MES features such as:Real-time production dashboards
Machine-level job tracking
Cross-site order dispatching
Post-processing workflows
Integration with ERP and PLM systems
These roadmap changes enabled broader industrial adoption beyond GE.
Deployment & Network Impact
Rolled out the additive MES across multiple GE business units and portfolio companies, resulting in:15–20% improvement in machine utilization
10–15% reduction in lead times
Increased throughput for short-run prototyping and advanced R&D work
Long-Term Value Creation
The strategic input and credibility provided by the GE ecosystem helped Link3D position itself as the category leader — culminating in a 90x revenue acquisition by Materialise, a publicly traded 3D printing company.
Outcome
What started as a tactical software engagement turned into a foundational infrastructure layer for GE’s additive operations — and a springboard for Link3D’s industry dominance. By transforming a niche marketplace into a category-defining MES, this work enabled both near-term operational gains and long-term enterprise value.