In years past, global supply chains were so productive and reliable that they were virtually invisible to consumers — and rarely discussed outside of business circles. Now, supply chain problems have overrun many aspects of our daily lives. 

There are plenty of fingers to point when considering how the supply chain reached this level of crisis — starting with the coronavirus outbreak and continuing through stockpiled shipping containers in diverse places and personnel shortages in major ports. But it all ends up with the same problem for companies everywhere: a shortage of vital parts. 

Fortunately, the tools are already in place for companies to avoid many of the external hiccups in product development brought on by supply chain problems. Next-gen cloud-based software tools and additive manufacturing — 3D printing — are letting companies design, prototype and refine complex structures on a single platform, and then bring manufacturing much closer to home. 

It’s time for more companies to join the trend, by moving beyond outmoded approaches to design and development and vulnerable systems of production and delivery. Here’s why and how organizations are integrating 3D printing into the manufacturing mainstream. 

A Crucial Advantage

For companies looking to reduce their reliance on a shaky supply chain, 3D printing offers exceptional benefits, savings and advantages. 

3D printing enables product teams to design, prototype and quickly refine and reiterate a product. There’s no need to spend time and money making molds, as would be the case, for example, in the injection-mold process that 3D printing is quickly surpassing. And because the 3D process is software-driven, once the product is ready for production, the file can simply be sent to a printer that, ideally, is as close as possible to the end customer. 

This speed to creation is a crucial advantage when traditional processes of creating physical prototypes and iterating on designs can stretch on for months, even without the additional hurdles of supply chain issues. At the many stages of design and production, 3D printing can often reduce the impact of time and geography. Those greater efficiencies can have a positive cumulative effect throughout the entire process.

Just as important for addressing shortages driven by supply chain challenges, 3D printing can give designers the ability to create complex structures in a single part that can’t be produced by other means. Fewer individual parts can mean fewer links in the supply chain. Moreover, 3D printing allows for much more efficient use of materials, which can be important when supply chain issues are creating shortages of key ingredients. 

Once a product is ready to manufacture, printing runs are customizable, whether the customer requires small batches or mass-market volumes. 

Leading the Charge

The COVID-19 pandemic demanded significant change from virtually every company in all industries. Many businesses have adapted successfully by understanding that the past decades’ model of global manufacturing and long-distance supply chains has become overextended, with too many fragile links. 

Companies at the forefront of innovation have embraced 3D printing as a much faster and more secure pathway from concept to market. The technology has become a foundation for companies in industries as diverse as automobile manufacturing to medical supply because of the ability to create, iterate and produce exclusively on single-platform cloud-based systems. 

For example, ice hockey equipment brand CCM Hockey recently used 3D printing to accelerate its design for a safety innovation in its premier helmet line. The company was able to move from concept to production at an unprecedented pace. The insights of the fully digital process provided instant feedback and much quicker speed to market. 

Businesses considering a shift to 3D printing are likely to find enthusiastic allies among designers and engineers, and may even discover these departments have been pushing for it for years. Product and procurement teams will also appreciate having more control over their work and less of a reliance on offshore partners. 

Long-time manufacturing professionals, with time-honored cost-benefit assumptions, may need more persuading. The cost and time of establishing a 3D printing process is indeed a consideration. Fortunately, outside production partners can help get a company up and running more quickly and at a lower cost than they might expect. And overall, the process of 3D printing requires much less capital upfront than outdated methods of manufacturing, while creating products closer to the customer saves significantly on shipping. 

As the business world continues working through the global supply chain issues, 3D printing provides a path forward. Shrinking the length and reducing the number of links in the supply chain eliminates many of the logistical snags, costs and shortages that challenge manufacturers. Companies that are determined to stick with the old ways run the risk of a never-ending series of supply chain problems.

Debbra Rogers is chief revenue officer at Carbon.

In years past, global supply chains were so productive and reliable that they were virtually invisible to consumers — and rarely discussed outside of business circles. Now, supply chain problems have overrun many aspects of our daily lives. 

There are plenty of fingers to point when considering how the supply chain reached this level of crisis — starting with the coronavirus outbreak and continuing through stockpiled shipping containers in diverse places and personnel shortages in major ports. But it all ends up with the same problem for companies everywhere: a shortage of vital parts. 

Fortunately, the tools are already in place for companies to avoid many of the external hiccups in product development brought on by supply chain problems. Next-gen cloud-based software tools and additive manufacturing — 3D printing — are letting companies design, prototype and refine complex structures on a single platform, and then bring manufacturing much closer to home. 

It’s time for more companies to join the trend, by moving beyond outmoded approaches to design and development and vulnerable systems of production and delivery. Here’s why and how organizations are integrating 3D printing into the manufacturing mainstream. 

A Crucial Advantage

For companies looking to reduce their reliance on a shaky supply chain, 3D printing offers exceptional benefits, savings and advantages. 

3D printing enables product teams to design, prototype and quickly refine and reiterate a product. There’s no need to spend time and money making molds, as would be the case, for example, in the injection-mold process that 3D printing is quickly surpassing. And because the 3D process is software-driven, once the product is ready for production, the file can simply be sent to a printer that, ideally, is as close as possible to the end customer. 

This speed to creation is a crucial advantage when traditional processes of creating physical prototypes and iterating on designs can stretch on for months, even without the additional hurdles of supply chain issues. At the many stages of design and production, 3D printing can often reduce the impact of time and geography. Those greater efficiencies can have a positive cumulative effect throughout the entire process.

Just as important for addressing shortages driven by supply chain challenges, 3D printing can give designers the ability to create complex structures in a single part that can’t be produced by other means. Fewer individual parts can mean fewer links in the supply chain. Moreover, 3D printing allows for much more efficient use of materials, which can be important when supply chain issues are creating shortages of key ingredients. 

Once a product is ready to manufacture, printing runs are customizable, whether the customer requires small batches or mass-market volumes. 

Leading the Charge

The COVID-19 pandemic demanded significant change from virtually every company in all industries. Many businesses have adapted successfully by understanding that the past decades’ model of global manufacturing and long-distance supply chains has become overextended, with too many fragile links. 

Companies at the forefront of innovation have embraced 3D printing as a much faster and more secure pathway from concept to market. The technology has become a foundation for companies in industries as diverse as automobile manufacturing to medical supply because of the ability to create, iterate and produce exclusively on single-platform cloud-based systems. 

For example, ice hockey equipment brand CCM Hockey recently used 3D printing to accelerate its design for a safety innovation in its premier helmet line. The company was able to move from concept to production at an unprecedented pace. The insights of the fully digital process provided instant feedback and much quicker speed to market. 

Businesses considering a shift to 3D printing are likely to find enthusiastic allies among designers and engineers, and may even discover these departments have been pushing for it for years. Product and procurement teams will also appreciate having more control over their work and less of a reliance on offshore partners. 

Long-time manufacturing professionals, with time-honored cost-benefit assumptions, may need more persuading. The cost and time of establishing a 3D printing process is indeed a consideration. Fortunately, outside production partners can help get a company up and running more quickly and at a lower cost than they might expect. And overall, the process of 3D printing requires much less capital upfront than outdated methods of manufacturing, while creating products closer to the customer saves significantly on shipping. 

As the business world continues working through the global supply chain issues, 3D printing provides a path forward. Shrinking the length and reducing the number of links in the supply chain eliminates many of the logistical snags, costs and shortages that challenge manufacturers. Companies that are determined to stick with the old ways run the risk of a never-ending series of supply chain problems.

Debbra Rogers is chief revenue officer at Carbon.