Additive Manufacturing and Maritime Spare Parts: Benefits and Obstacles for the End-Users

Evanthia Kostidi,Nikitas Nikitakos,Iosif Progoulakis

doi:10.3390/jmse9080895

Evanthia Kostidi, Nikitas Nikitakos + Show 1 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse9080895

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Abstract

3D printing or additive manufacturing (AM) (in the industrial context) is an innovative, as opposed to subtractive, technology, bringing new opportunities and benefits to the spare part supply chain (SPSC). The aim of this work is to capture the views of the stakeholders at the end of the chain, extruding factors that will benefit the end-user and the factors that are likely to be an obstacle, by employing the questionnaire method. Company objectives regarding spares (cost reductions, improvement of services, space reduction) have been prioritized differently by the stakeholders. The most important barriers according to the participants are the quality assurance of the spare parts made by the new technology followed by the know-how and skills of staff. Other views such as suitable parts are suggested. The practical value of this work, in addition to assessing the readiness of the industry, is that it provides guidance for the successful implementation of AM in the maritime industry.

Highlights

Machinery is subject to gradual deterioration that makes preventive or corrective maintenance a necessity, requiring the availability of spare parts
As our research aimed to explore the potential of introducing additive manufacturing (AM) in the spare parts supply chain in the maritime industry, the questionnaire method was selected for capturing the perceptions of the involved stakeholders in order to get an understanding of motives and fears
It should be noted that the majority of survey participants were male (83%) as the male population is by far higher than the female population in the maritime industry

Summary

Introduction

Machinery (in general) is subject to gradual deterioration that makes preventive or corrective maintenance a necessity, requiring the availability of spare parts. The maritime industry is characterized by the heavy utilization of equipment and machinery under harsh and corrosive operating conditions and that makes the requirements of maintenance critical due to the detrimental financial and safety consequences of downtime. The availability of parts at the point of consumption makes inventory necessary for suppliers to respond quickly to demand. Keeping an inventory of spare parts causes a financial burden to maritime companies and parts suppliers, mainly in capital cost expenditure as well as logistical storage. Spare parts supply chain (SPSC) plays an important role in keeping the maritime assets operating efficiently and safely. Maintenance networks involve many actors such as the owners of the assets, system integrators, original equipment manufacturers (OEM) and the service providers and their logistics service providers [1]

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