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Already 10 years ! - A Message from Our Founder

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Already 10 years ! - A Message from Our Founder

Voxel Factory celebrates its 10th anniversary!

For the occasion, the founder had a special message to deliver:

Happy reading!

 

The first line

On April 30, 2012, a lady in Strathmore, Alberta placed the very first online order for Voxel Factory. Our first three spools of sold filament would leave our one square meter warehouse and travel 3,500 kilometers. I still remember the excitement! The joy of making a first sale after investing $2,000 in borrowed money and hundreds of hours of work in a field that was then unknown to me, entrepreneurship. If I was able to imagine the road these spools would travel, I was completely unaware of the extraordinary adventure I was about to live. 

The first layer


A few hundred spools later, Voxel Factory set up a 3D printer assembly workshop at Foulab under the instruction of François Chagnon. These workshops allowed me to understand who my customers were and how I should serve them in the future. At the rate of one workshop per month, I had the pleasure of meeting makers from several regions: Montreal, Rimouski, Ottawa, Toronto. People coming from as far as Boston and Winnipeg. 
I met people from all walks of life. Engineers, artists, tinkerers, students and retirees. I thought these people sharing a weekend of hard work with us had nothing in common. Neither their age, nor their work, nor their projects brought them together. But I was wrong.
They had several things in common. They were all free people who allowed themselves to imagine and create. They were all passionate people who did not stop in front of any difficulty. They left on Sunday evening with a 3D printer assembled with their own hands and a 4 cm³ cube printed in PLA. They left with a head full of new dreams and the happiness of knowing that from now on, their projects would have no limits!
They are the ones who taught me to dream and persevere and it is to them that I think in difficult times. As we equipped them to design their projects, they also inspired me to build the Voxel Factory of today.


On the Z axis


It was in 2016 that the adventure took a major turn. I was going to sell shares in Voxel Factory in exchange for shares in Materio3D by associating myself in these two companies with Pierre Giguère of Félix Compounds. I would have more on my shoulders but I would no longer be alone.
It is finally thanks to his confidence and his investments that Voxel Factory took off. From simply reselling filaments, we started manufacturing 3D printing materials right here in St-Hubert. If the last year was difficult for Materio3D during the merger of the companies and the move to the new premises, I am particularly enthusiastic about its future. New things we are proud of are coming soon!
While the 3D printer assembly workshops were inspiring and exciting, it must be said that this type of machine is not for everyone. That's why Voxel Factory now offers professional FFF, SLA and SLS 3D printing solutions ranging from $1,000 to $100,000.  Prusa Research, Ultimaker, Formlabs, Sinterit and 3D Platform are the brands we offer to professionals who want reliable and easy to use solutions.
Our new Vancouver branch allows us to serve our western customers and offer reasonable delivery times and prices for all Canadians. All services are available at both locations; in-store purchasing, shipping, repair and training.
Without a doubt, it is the move to our new premises in St-Hubert in 2021 that gives us the means to achieve our ambitions. A larger store, an airy repair and assembly area, a functional warehouse and our 3D printing filament production are all under one roof. On the second floor we have set up offices, a classroom and a brand new production workshop. A productive and pleasant living space that we will gladly show you around!
Finally, it is with great pleasure that I have seen our team grow over the years. If at the very beginning I was alone to do everything, today I can rely on a solid and dynamic team of about fifteen people, each of whom has the expertise and passion necessary to travel this journey and live our next adventures. It is with them that I am confident to offer the Voxel Factory 110% experience. Like our customers, they are dreamers, hard-working and motivated. They push me to set new goals, to reach new heights.


The last layers


On this Friday, April 29, 2022, a few hours away from the ten year anniversary of our first sale, I can finally say mission accomplished! Like a 3D printer does, slowly but surely, we have built line by line and layer by layer, a solid business that we are proud of. 
I join the entire team in saying THANK YOU! Thank you for being part of this great and rewarding adventure. Thank you for sharing your dreams and passions with us. Thank you for pushing us to reinvent ourselves, to evolve and to surpass ourselves, day after day, year after year. Don't worry, this was just our first impression, our first chapter. We are ready for the next challenges!
In the meantime, I invite you to join us for a whole year of celebration, activities and various promotions! We look forward to seeing you soon!


Sincerely,

François Lahey 
Founder & President

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