We started the day a bit later than usual and had the morning to ourselves, which was nice because my roommates and I were able to experience a casual Amsterdam morning by going on a walk to get breakfast at a cafe amongst locals and looking less obviously like tourists as we do when we travel as a whole group. We realized that we also had become quite familiar with the geography of the neighborhood surrounding our hostel. After some much needed coffee to cure the exhaustion buildup from the intense speed walking and dodging of bikes, we set off to our first stop. 

We traveled via public transportation (which is another aspect of Amsterdam that our group has really gotten familiar with the last few days) to the Amsterdam Center in the Red Light District, where we saw the famous 3D printed bridge made by MX3D. 

MX3D is a 3D metal printing company that makes customized products for their customers. Because their products are tailored to their customers’ needs, the types of things they make vary, ranging from boat parts like propellers to bikes to art pieces. Because of this, getting a product from concept to consumer is a more customized process where the manufacturer and consumer work closely to reach the end product; communication and planning are essential.

Because 3D printing is still a relatively new concept, it isn’t really a well known market from the common consumer’s perspective. Although there isn’t necessarily a large demand for this, there is a niche group of consumers demanding it. This is why marketing is important because they need to not only find and reach those consumers, but also need to ultimately sell their products to those consumers. Their company is also relatively small, with only around 31 employees, so marketing becomes even more crucial. In this way, MX3D is similar to small businesses in the US because they need to effectively market their product to get their name out there because they don’t have the benefit of riding off a well known brand name.

After the MX3D visit, we ate dinner as a group at a local restaurant. We were served Dutch food which featured some cultural influences, which speaks to the characteristic of The Netherlands being a culturally diverse country. This was an interesting experience because it was another approach to exploring Dutch culture. The servers and owner were so sweet and seemed to put a lot of thought and care into preparing the dishes for us. This family style service made the restaurant atmosphere more homey, in contrast to the typical American restaurant dining experience that’s less friendly. The flavors and textures of the dishes, however, were very different from what I was used to eating in America, so it was a greatly appreciated meal for educational purposes, but not exactly my cup of tea.