Aug.30, 2012

3D printing and 3D scanning are going to change many current industries, especially in shipping industry. Final products which were previously produced in China or other Asia countries could be 'near-sourced' to North America and Europe. The cost & time of prototyping and designing in the manufacturing process will be halved or even less. The logistics of raw materials will be more important than that of final products.

With a 3D printer, many products can be produced 'just-in- time' and inventory will shift from finished products to raw materials and semi-finished good. No more expensive ocean crossing shipments - there will be less opportunities for the current logistics companies.

John Manners-Bell, CEO of Transport Intelligence and technology innovator Ken Lyon has written a white paper 'The Implications of 3D Printing on Global Supply Chains' explaining how much 3D printing could influence the global logistics industry.

What is future of the logistics company? "Their businesses will comprise a mix of software development, delivery services, partner relationship management, contract management and brainpower."

"The new logistics company will design solutions comprising demand planning, manufacturing, delivery, market monitoring, service parts management and return and recycling services. In essence, they will become Product Life-Cycle Management service providers."says the Ti whitepaper.

This is a big opportunity for companies and organizations who have the right resources to support this innovation.

"It is clear that if the larger logistics companies delay or ignore the implications of this trend, they are vulnerable to new kinds of organisations or associations that will match or leap ahead of their capabilities," warned Manners-Bell in the paper.

Read the free whitepaper here.

 

Posted in 3D Printing Technology

 

 

 

Maybe you also like:


 


Kyle Ephraim wrote at 6/24/2013 6:49:39 PM:

Very interesting article and whitepaper! As a student at the University at Buffalo working on a Business Admin degree with a concentration in Supply Chain and Operations Management, as well as a minor in Environmental Studies, I am very intrigued by the concept of 3D printing as a way to help supply chains become more green. I wonder, though — how do you feel this technology will impact the Supply Chain / Logistics occupation? Seems like there is the potential for some significant changes in the future. I’m excited! Kyle Ephraim https://plus.google.com/114491067289114652307/posts



Leave a comment:

Your Name:

 


Subscribe us to

3ders.org Feeds 3ders.org twitter 3ders.org facebook   

About 3Ders.org

3Ders.org provides the latest news about 3D printing technology and 3D printers. We are now seven years old and have around 1.5 million unique visitors per month.

News Archive