Introduction
Carl Douglass (00:00):
Welcome to the Solutionology Stories podcast. Today, we’ve got a great guest, Bud Runquist, who’s the VP of Sales and Marketing with Stratasys Direct, one of the world’s largest additive manufacturing service providers and a division of Stratasys, the 3D printing and additive manufacturing equipment manufacturer.
Brian Douglass (00:19):
Wow. That was a mouthful. But our topic today is AEM (Additive Manufacturing) at scale, and we’re going to explore how Stratasys Direct led a network-distributed production effort for one of their clients. We’ll also discuss how this model should become more mainstream and what we might experience in the coming years.
Carl Douglass (00:39):
But this wasn’t just a casual journey—as you’ll hear, it was an emergency response to a natural disaster in the U.S. that severely impacted the supply chain of a top automotive manufacturer. The response effort represents a blueprint that should be used not just for emergencies but also for supply chain resilience and augmentation in other industries.
I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as we did.
Meet the Guest
Carl Douglass (01:09):
He doesn’t like when I say this, but I’m going to say it—we’ve got a celebrity guest today! Sorry, Bud.
Bud Runquist is the VP of Sales and Marketing at Stratasys Direct Manufacturing. Stratasys Direct provides additive manufacturing services, much like DI Labs. While some might say they’re a competitor, we see Stratasys Direct as a business partner, and today’s conversation will highlight that.
We’ll be discussing a critical supply chain breakdown that Stratasys Direct helped resolve last year in 2024, after a hurricane destroyed an injection molding plant.
Before we dive into the story—Bud, you’ve been at Stratasys for six years now, right?
Justin “Bud” Runquist (02:05):
Yeah, that’s right. Six years now.
Carl Douglass (02:07):
You’ve held several leadership roles, starting in sales and client relations. Today, you lead that side of the business, and from an outsider’s perspective, it’s clear you’ve had a significant impact on the organization.
Bud Runquist (02:25):
It’s been an awesome journey, for sure. I wake up thinking about additive every day—and hopefully, you can tell from the smile on my face, I love it.
Carl Douglass (02:32):
That enthusiasm was obvious the first time I talked to you. That’s what makes you a celebrity in my mind—your passion for additive manufacturing. I’m really looking forward to hearing more about your insights.
The Supply Chain Breakdown: What Happened?
Carl Douglass (03:17):
So let’s jump in. In October 2024, a hurricane wiped out part of the injection molding supply chain for a major automotive manufacturer. You were on the front lines—what happened?
Bud Runquist (03:40):
It was an unfortunate situation. One of our long-standing customers called up our sales rep and said:
“We’ve got a situation here. We’re going to be shut down.”
For a large OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer), a shutdown means millions of dollars lost per day. They were scrambling for alternatives to their traditional injection molding process. They asked us:
“Is this even possible?”
Credit to our sales rep—he had an open mind and said:
“We can solve this. I know we can solve this.”
We immediately evaluated:
- What’s the best additive technology for this part?
- What materials meet the requirements?
- Is this feasible at scale?
The Emergency Response: Additive Manufacturing at Scale
Bud Runquist (04:08):
That same day, we had parts on a printer. By the end of a 12-hour shift, we had the first parts in hand and shipped them overnight to the customer for testing.
The next morning, they called us back:
“This works. How quickly can you scale up?”
That’s when we realized:
“We need to reach out to our industry partners.”
We couldn’t do it alone—the demand was 500 parts per day, with the first shipment due in seven days.
One of our first calls was to DI Labs. We needed trusted partners who understood quality and scale. The response from the AM community was incredible. People jumped in, saying:
“Yeah, I’m in. Let’s do this!”
The Power of Distributed Manufacturing
Brian Douglass (06:30):
I love that the first thing you did was validate the parts immediately. Is that a lesson you’ve learned over the years?
Bud Runquist (06:49):
Absolutely. This wasn’t the first time we’ve done large-scale AM production. But it was the first time we had a customer say: “We need it in seven days.”
We had to act fast and use our network to scale production.
Timing was everything. Speed was everything. Cost? That wasn’t the focus. The alternative cost of waiting for traditional manufacturing was 100X higher.
More and more companies are realizing that additive isn’t just a stopgap—it’s a cost-effective and repeatable solution for low-to-mid-volume production.
The Need for Industry Standards
Bud Runquist (10:18):
Another challenge? Ensuring quality across the network.
Some suppliers didn’t meet our standards, and we had to say no. The industry needs standardized processes to ensure consistency.
Carl Douglass (12:02):
That’s a huge issue. In traditional manufacturing, outsourcing is common, but in additive, it’s risky because quality varies so much.
Bud Runquist (12:52):
Exactly. At Stratasys Direct, we have a Director of Quality who sets our standards. But not every company does.
We need MES (Manufacturing Execution Systems) and PLM (Product Lifecycle Management) systems that support certified, repeatable additive production.
The Future of Additive Manufacturing
Carl Douglass (26:46):
Bud, any final thoughts or aha moments?
Bud Runquist (27:27):
Yes—distributed manufacturing is closer than we think.
AI, digital twins, and cloud-based part catalogs are going to transform this industry. Companies need to start thinking:
- How can we implement AM strategically?
- What’s our plan for scaling AM production?
I’m excited about where this industry is headed.
Brian Douglass (29:30):
Bud, this was an amazing conversation. Thanks for your insights and for everything you do for the AM industry.
Bud Runquist (29:44):
Thank you, guys. It’s an honor to be here and work alongside you.
Closing Thoughts
This conversation highlights how additive manufacturing is evolving beyond prototyping into high-volume production. The industry is at a tipping point, and distributed manufacturing will be a key driver of future growth.
Stay tuned for more episodes of Solutionology Stories!
