ALSO powers ahead with expansion of 3D printing portfolio with the Materialise Magics 3D Print Suite

· ALSO signs distribution agreement to market Materialise's 3D printing software across Europe

· Software distribution complements ALSO's market entry success in selling a three-digit number of HP Multi Jet Fusion 3D printers in the past year alone

· ALSO's rapidly growing Additive Manufacturing offering is supported through its own European Center of Competence for 3D Printing

ALSO announced today that it has signed a distribution agreement with Materialise, a leading provider of software for 3D printing. The agreement to market Materialise's HP Build Processor and Materialise Magics software will cover Europe (excluding the UK and the Republic of Ireland). Beyond providing pre- and post-sales technical support, ALSO will offer a suite of services to Value-Added Resellers, helping to recruit, train, and authorize them to market these software packages to end customers.

"3D printing is a strategic segment within the ALSO Group. Having launched a European-wide partnership to distribute HP's Multi Jet Fusion portfolio in May 2017, we are now proud to expand our efforts with the marketing of 3D printing software by Materialise, a pioneer in the field of additive manufacturing," said Gustavo Möller-Hergt, CEO of ALSO Holding AG (SIX: ALSN).

"According to estimates from a study by the strategy consulting firm PwC Strategy&, the market of printed products will grow to 22.6 billion euros by 2030. Through our partnerships with HP and Materialise, and the expansion of our 3D printing segment into a European Center of Competence that bundles our know-how and services, we are taking steps to benefit from this growth market in a targeted manner," Mr. Möller-Hergt continued.

"We see a great opportunity in our partnership with the ALSO Group to expand our sales through their network. ALSO's customers buying a HP MJF Printers will now have the opportunity to bundle our software in one single procurement process and profit from a seamless integration with the Materialise Magics 3D Print Suite, said Stefaan Motte, Vice-President of Materialise (NASDAQ: MTLS). We look forward to working with ALSO and provide customers across Europe with our open and flexible solutions to build innovative 3D printing applications."

Materialise offers a range of software solutions, engineering expertise, and printing services that together form the backbone of the 3D printing industry. The Materialise Magics 3D Print Suite is the software of choice for companies around the world to develop state-of-the-art 3D Printing applications. Materialise HP Build Processor and Materialise Magics are now available for all ALSO customers purchasing a HP Multi Jet Fusion.  

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ALSO Holding AG (Emmen/Switzerland) (ALSN.SW) brings providers and buyers of the ICT industry together. The company offers services at all levels of the ICT value chain from a single source. In the European B2B marketplace, ALSO bundles logistics services, financial services, supply services, solution services, digital services, and IT services together into individual service packages. ALSO's portfolio contains more than 250 000 articles from some 525 vendors. The Group has 4 058 employees throughout Europe. In fiscal year 2017 (closing on December 31), the company generated net sales of 8.9 billion euros. The majority shareholder of ALSO Holding AG is the Droege Group, Düsseldorf, Germany. Further information is available at

Droege Group

Droege Group (founded in 1988) is an independent advisory and investment company under full family ownership. The company acts as a specialist for tailor-made transformation programs aiming to enhance corporate value. Droege Group combines its corporate family-run structure and capital strength into a family-equity business model. The group carries out direct investments with its own equity in corporate spin-offs and medium-sized companies in "special situations". With the guiding principle "execution - following the rules of art", the group is a pioneer in execution-oriented corporate development. Droege Group follows a focused investment strategy based on current megatrends (knowledge, connectivity, prevention, demography, specialization, future work, shopping 4.0). Enthusiasm for quality, innovation and speed determines the company's actions. In recent years Droege Group has successfully positioned itself in domestic and international markets and operates in 30 countries. More information:

Materialise

Materialise incorporates 28 years of 3D printing experience into a range of software solutions and 3D printing services, which together form the backbone of 3D printing technologies. Materialise's open and flexible solutions enable players in a wide variety of industries, including healthcare, automotive, aerospace, art and design, and consumer goods, to build innovative 3D printing applications that aim to make the world a better and healthier place. Headquartered in Belgium, with branches worldwide, Materialise combines the largest group of software developers in the industry with one of the largest 3D printing facilities in the world. More information:

Disclaimer

This press release contains forward-looking statements which are based on current assumptions and forecasts of the ALSO management. Known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors could lead to material differences between the forward-looking statements made here and the actual development, in particular the results, financial situation, and performance of our Group. The Group accepts no responsibility for updating these forward-looking statements or adapting them to future events or developments.