3D Printing could begin Reshaping Business

Though 3D printing hasn’t yet made it’s stamp on mainstream supply chain production, it’s capabilities for disruption to the market are undeniable.

An article in ECN Magazine - written by Kent Firestone - COO at Stratyasys Direct Manufacturing, laid out 7 of the current and future impacts 3D printing will have on the global supply chain.

At first glance, the direct impacts of 3D printing seem quite minimal, but at scale they could be earth shaking. In respect to Firestone’s bullet points, I’ve decided to list out the 2 areas in which I see 3D printing having the most scalable impact on business and the supply chain globally.

1. Decentralizing Production

Manufacturing of consumer-based products is often streamlined in today’s global supply chain, after the emergence of globalization and technological advancements. Factories all over the world, pool their competencies, in order to provide products (sometimes) sold one brand name. 

3D printing, as a production method, adds on one more rung to the ladder of decentralized manufacturing success: The Cloud!

Considering the production design can be stored in cloud-based devices or flash drives, the production of goods can be relocated at the blink of an eye.

“Just as parts can be stored digitally, design files can be sent securely across the globe to a convenient production location. Companies can send files to the nearest 3D printing service bureau or qualified production facility to have it made, even on short notice” (Firestone 2017).

This kind of business agility is game changing for manufacturers, and equally impactful for logistics-based strategies; cutting down lead-times, decreasing environmental impact and reducing overall logistics costs.

2. Uniqueness

Product creativity is rather unbound when speaking of 3D printing capabilities. The production capabilities of the 3D printing apparatuses have developed to a level, in which, one can truly start producing the unimaginable.

Over the summer, I was introduced to a company from Sweden, Cellink, which is a “bio-tech company that commercializes bioinks for 3D bioprinting of human organs and tissue.”

Before my eyes, a functional human appendage was printed.

This kind of technology could completely disrupt product segments, create new markets and potentially reshape the medical field. Essentially, customer demands can be relayed back to sales representatives, and a simple dialogue could dictate product development. As Firestone puts it, “[3D] technology offers mass customization as a brand-new business model”

The future of 3D printing, and its impact on the global supply chain, should be an interesting journey to follow along with. 

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