African Firm Arridex Launches West Africa's First Multi-Technology AM Facility
Arridex, formerly RusselSmith, has launched West Africa's first multi-technology industrial additive manufacturing facility in Lagos, Nigeria, offering advanced AM solutions to various sectors.
An industrial technology company in Nigeria, formerly known as RusselSmith, has officially changed its name to Arridex. This rebranding signifies a significant expansion in the company's capabilities and the diverse industries it now serves. Initially established as an asset integrity company for Nigeria's oil and gas sector, Arridex has broadened its operations to include aerospace, defense, construction, maritime, and manufacturing.
Arridex holds Pioneer Status in additive manufacturing (AM) from the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC). It is also the first company qualified by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) for AM deployment within the oil and gas industry. The company's name change coincides with the commissioning of the Arridex Omnifactory in Lagos, which is described as West Africa's first multi-technology industrial AM facility. This facility provides on-demand production of spare parts and industrial components using a variety of AM technologies, including LPBF, SLS, CSAM, and FFF.
Kayode Adeleke, Group Chief Executive Officer of Arridex, stated that the name change reflects the company's evolution and its commitment to enabling industrial resilience in Africa. He highlighted the Omnifactory as a direct response to the challenge of manufacturing sovereignty, aiming to address the continent's long-standing dependency on fragile supply chains.
In other additive manufacturing news, DDM Systems has commercially launched its Digital Foundry platform, designed to address issues within the U.S. investment casting industry. This vertically integrated approach aims to reduce casting lead times by eliminating the need for tooling. The platform integrates three proprietary technologies: Large Area Maskless Photopolymerization (LAMP) for printing ceramic casting shells, DirectPour for delivering ready-to-pour shells with integrated cores, and Scanning Laser Epitaxy (SLE) for direct 3D printing of superalloy structures.
The launch of Arridex's Omnifactory represents a significant step in developing localized additive manufacturing capabilities in West Africa, addressing supply chain vulnerabilities. DDM Systems' Digital Foundry platform, by eliminating tooling, drastically cuts lead times and costs for metal castings, which is crucial for defense and energy sectors requiring rapid component production and domestic supply chain resilience.
Edited by the news editor with AI from the original report — please refer to the original source.