Video: Additive Manufacturing Is a Logistics Solution
UPS discusses its use of cloud-networked 3D printers to provide part-making near the point of end use.
What if, instead of manufacturing a batch of 100 pieces, you could instead manufacture 10 batches of 10, all in separate places that are near the ultimate points of use. Digital manufacturing via 3D printing coupled with cloud-based networking makes this possible. This is the “manufacturing as a service” model now being advanced by UPS’s Global On-Demand Manufacturing Network. UPS VP of Corporate Strategy Alan Amling discusses the idea in this video. Additive manufacturing as a disruption not just to manufactured part designs but also to logistics is an idea I talk about here.
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