EinDruck³ 2023 - Interview with Prof. Dr. Michael Eßig, University of the German Armed Forces Munich
Michael Eßig holds the Chair of Procurement and Supply Management at the University of the Federal Armed Forces in Munich and is a speaker at Fachforum EinDruck³, which will take place on April 26, 2023. We spoke to him in advance about how additive manufacturing makes companies more resilient and what SMEs in particular need to look out for when implementing 3D printing in their supply chain.
In the media, the topics of resilient supply chains and 3D printing are often mentioned in the same breath as various crises. Let's ask provocatively: Is additive manufacturing just a stopgap for troubled times?
Yes, one can get this impression. In fact, just from the time of the Corona pandemic, there are many case studies that show how additive manufacturing can substitute for supply bottlenecks or disrupted supply chains in the short term. However, they only begin to show the potential of 3D printing for increasing supply chain resilience. For one thing, supply through global supply chains is expected to remain volatile - new crises such as the Ukraine war or potential conflict hotspots with China require systematic risk management. 3D printing has a firm place in this, but it needs to be planned for and implemented early rather than "ad hoc." On the other hand, it is not only crises that require much more flexible approaches to improving supply security. Just think of high-quality spare parts for durable capital goods, where failure rates etc. are difficult to predict. Here, too, forms of new, digital warehousing in conjunction with 3D printing are a solution approach that plays an important role not only in "special" times of crisis.
How can manufacturing companies use additive applications to specifically increase their resilience?
Resilience is the ability of companies to deal well or better than competitors with disruptions in the supply chain ("resilience as a competitive advantage"). This can be achieved via redundancy and flexibility and is a strategic task under increasingly uncertain environmental conditions, especially for manufacturing companies with global (supply) chains. Additive manufacturing can contribute to both aspects: both as a redundant system that complements traditional manufacturing routes and as a flexible system that can, for example, cover capacity peaks or create a wide variety of components at high speed. 3D printing stands for the consistent digitization of the supply chain.
What do manufacturing companies have to pay attention to when they want to implement a decentralized production structure? What are the prerequisites?
In order to implement a decentralized production structure, digitization must be both a result and a prerequisite. Only in this way is it possible to effectively integrate additive manufacturing into an overarching production and supply chain strategy. 3D printing is not only economically feasible for larger companies; small and medium-sized enterprises in particular can further increase their flexibility potential in a targeted manner. It is important to examine the possible structural alternatives for a 3D printing supply chain: Does in-house manufacturing make sense or should 3D printing service providers be involved? Which part of the value creation process is handled by which participating company? How can print room utilization be optimized? What needs to be taken into account not only from a technical perspective, but also from a business perspective - and how can not only the costs, but also the performance side of 3D printing (e.g. flexibility and speed) be mapped in a decision calculation?
Thank you very much for the interesting discussion! We look forward to your key note at EinDruck³!
Inform and network: EinDruck³ - Resilience and Digitalization - Drivers for Additive Manufacturing, April 26, 2023
EinDruck³ - Generating knowledge together instead of one lecture after the other
Passive knowledge transfer was yesterday! EinDruck³ offers you the opportunity to discuss current issues and challenges in additive manufacturing with other participants in interactive sessions. The sessions will focus on resilience and digitalization and will be moderated by experts from business and science (Siemens, EOS, Daimler Truck AG, toolcraft AG, DB Schenker, Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation IPA, University of Bayreuth, Munich University of Applied Sciences). Also benefit from exciting key notes and pitches and learn how to make your company fit for the production of the future.
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