Answer extracted from the Inspiring Industry Podcast — listen to the full episode below.
Why does SPEE3D release 80% products instead of waiting for perfection?
SPEE3D releases products at 80% completion to capture real market feedback and understand genuine customer needs, rather than pursuing endless perfectionism. This pragmatic philosophy recognizes that sometimes what you have is good enough—and the only way to truly improve is to commercialize, learn from the field, and iterate based on actual usage.
Perfectionism kills commercialization
The core distinction between SPEE3D's approach and traditional product development is a fundamental shift in mindset. Byron Kennedy explains that in the episode, the company does not spend years refining a product in the lab before it touches a customer. Instead, 80% is the threshold for entry into the market—good enough to work, incomplete enough to teach you what matters.
This decision reflects a deeper truth about manufacturing innovation: the gap between what engineers think customers need and what they actually need is often only revealed in the field. Waiting for 100% perfection before commercialization delays that learning and leaves you exposed to competitors who move faster.
Market feedback beats theory
By releasing an 80% product, SPEE3D gains access to something no lab can provide: real-world operational data and genuine customer pain points. A mining operation running one of their metal 3D printers on-site will surface problems and opportunities that internal testing never would. Field deployment teaches you which features matter, which don't, and where the next breakthrough lies.
Kennedy's philosophy is that commercialization drives innovation, not the reverse. You commercialize to understand, not after you understand everything. This is especially critical in manufacturing, where conditions vary wildly: a solution perfect in one environment may need rethinking in another.
"You can eliminate that mould. You don't need that mould. And suddenly you don't need a big factory and you don't need a lot of capital intensive equipment to be able to manufacture parts anymore."
Byron Kennedy — Co-founder of SPEE3D. Kennedy co-founded SPEE3D with Steve Committery after both spent 10 years in manufacturing following the sale of their first company—an electric motor startup born from university solar car projects in the mid-1990s. Around 2015–2016, they identified metal 3D printing as the next transformative technology in manufacturing and built SPEE3D to deliver speed and affordability at scale.
Kennedy's point about eliminating moulds and capital-intensive factories speaks to a larger truth: the 80% product philosophy works because it addresses a real manufacturing problem. When a critical part breaks on a mine site and replacement costs $1 million per day in downtime, a metal 3D printer that is 80% optimized but operational today is infinitely more valuable than a theoretically perfect one arriving next year.
See also
Why should manufacturers evaluate and adopt new 3D printing technologies rather than rely solely on traditional casting?
The manufacturing sector is moving and evolving in a positive direction, driven by digital technologies and new innovations. Kennedy advises that manufacturers should evaluate new technologies and give them a shot, as competitors are already adopting them.
What are the primary industrial sectors SPEE3D is targeting for growth beyond defense?
In 2024, SPEE3D is focusing on heavy industry sectors including mining, oil and gas, rail, marine, and automotive—industries facing severe supply chain disruptions and requiring rapid on-site manufacturing capabilities.
How does leadership philosophy influence talent attraction and team motivation at SPEE3D?
Kennedy and Steve follow the leadership philosophies from Jim Collins' book 'Good to Great,' emphasizing mathematical rigor and evidence-based decision-making, which helps attract and motivate teams aligned with this disciplined approach.