Click Here to Print a Maker Movement Supply Chain: How Invention and Entrepreneurship Will Disrupt Supply Chain Design

• Author: Matthew A. Waller,Stanley E. Fawcett
• Published date: 01 June 2014
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/jbl.12045
• Date: 01 June 2014

Editorial

Click Here to Print a Maker Movement Supply Chain: How

Invention and Entrepreneurship Will Disrupt Supply Chain Design

Matthew A. Waller

1

and Stanley E. Fawcett

2

1

University of Arkansas

2

Weber State University

Emerging technologies such as 3D printing promise to transform supply chain design and management. As these new technologies enable

inventors to become entrepreneurs, new product introduction cycle times are being reduced and the variety of new products that are intro-

duced through short channels of distribution is increasing. We show that these disruptive forces are growing and may have significant implica-

tions for practice, research, and teaching in supply chain management. We identify and elaborate important research questions, calling for

theory-driven research to explain and predict how these phenomena will impact supply chain management.

Keywords: additive manufacturing; 3D printing; logistics; supply chain management; customization; research; education; teaching; invention;

entrepreneur; new product introductions

INTRODUCTION

Additive manufacturing, also known as 3D printing, is hyped to

the point that one would expect that in a few short years, the sup-

ply chain will be dramatically different than it is today. A corre-

lated trend, the maker movement, is also emerging quickly,

potentially engendering rapid supply chain evolution.

1

Will 3D

printing result in radical redesign of global supply chains—or

merely lead to incremental changes? For instance, 3D printing

may make long-talked-about mass customization a reality. It may

also result in manufacturing being located nearer to markets,

including an increase in near shoring—that is, the return of off-

shore manufacturing to the United States. As theory-laden aca-

demics, it is our responsibility to bring an understanding of the

phenomenon of 3D printing to supply chain management, provid-

ing both the academy and the practitioner community with:

•A clearer documentation of what 3D printing really means to

supply chain practice,

•An explanation of the dynamics of 3D printing—that is, how 3D

printing is changing relationships, infrastructure, and decision

making. Specifically, how will 3D printing affect the following?

○Supply chain network design

○Scale and scope economies

○Inventory management, including quantities and placement

○Forecasting, including timing and accuracy

○Transportation, including modal and carrier choice

○Warehousing, including size, technology, and location

Although we have only identified a short list of issues that

should be investigated, the topics on the list demonstrate that 3D

printing’sinfluence on logistics and supply chain management is

likely to be transformational.

THE NATURE AND INFLUENCE OF 3D PRINTING

Additive manufacturing got its name from the production pro-

cess; that is, material is added or layered to produce a product.

For example, “printing”devices use digital designs to layer plas-

tic, metal, or other materials until a part, component, or final

product is formed. Traditional manufacturing, in contradistinc-

tion, relies on milling (taking material away) a block of material

to a desired shape. On complex designs, 3D printing can reduce

the total number of components that must be assembled to create

afinished product. Everyone from automotive junkies like Jay

Leno to airframe manufacturers like Boeing is beginning to

explore additive manufacturing. The potential supply chain rami-

fications are many and substantive.

Inventory and materials management

Clearly, additive manufacturing uses less material in the produc-

tion process. That is, for a given amount of product, additive

manufacturing requires less raw material, which clearly has

implications for inventory management, transportation, warehous-

ing, and purchasing: lower order quantities, less transportation

required, and less space for raw materials required. In some

cases, the amount of material required is 95% less (Econo-

mist.com 2013). However, currently, the raw materials for 3D

printers is often more expensive. This is but one of the many

trade-offs that needs to be investigated. Critical questions include

the following:

•How can we model these trade-offs?

•Which parts of the supply chain are most likely to benefit

from this reduction in waste?

•Which industries are most likely to benefit?

1

We discussed the maker movement in a previous editorial

(Waller and Fawcett 2013a).

Journal of Business Logistics, 2014, 35(2): 99–102

© Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals