3D PRINTING OCTOBER 2020
3D SUPPLY CHAINS
While the COVID-19 pandemic has shone a spotlight on 3D printing, many forwardthinking
companies across the globe had already embedded the technology within
their business models to great success
We live in a world
BY ANDREAS LANGFELD, PRESIDENT EMEA, STRATASYS
where business
is globalised and
interconnected.
Production
takes place in
global value chains, in which
raw materials, parts, and
intermediate goods are shipped
back and forth around the
world for sourcing, assembly
and distribution before they
reach a customer. We have
grown accustomed to this
happening quickly and with
minimal friction. In turn, many
companies have opted for justin
time production to ensure
lean supply chains and keep
expenses down. This works just
fine – until the supply chain is
disrupted, that is.
Unfortunately, for most
companies, disruptions are
becoming the norm. For
example, according to a June
2019 survey, uncertainties over
the Brexit situation resulted
in more disruption to supply
chains over five years than
cyber attacks and natural
disasters combined (https://bit.
ly/2FCVQg2). Similarly, the trade
war between the US and China
has also caused uncertainty
around supply chains, especially
for those companies who have suppliers in either
country. Around 51,000 businesses worldwide
have at least one direct supplier in the Chinese
province of Wuhan alone, while another five
million have one or more tier-two suppliers
based there. As a result, many companies made
changes to their supply chains to avoid permanent
disruption to their business.
But the biggest eye-opener exposing the fragility
of traditional supply chains has no doubt been the
COVID-19 pandemic, which led to a complete shutdown
of production virtually overnight. Adidas, for
example, saw a shutdown of 80-90% of its business,
resulting in a loss of revenue of $100 million every
week, according to CNBC (https://cnb.cx/32BMtWZ).
When supply chain problems caused extreme
production backlog, Jaguar Land Rover went as far
as to ship urgently needed automotive parts around
20 www.manufacturingmanagement.co.uk
/bit
/32BMtWZ)
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