Abstract
The authors studied strategic aspects pertaining to adoption drivers, challenges and strategic value of Additive Manufacturing Technology (AMT) in the Indian manufacturing landscape. An exploratory qualitative study with semi-structured in-depth personal interviews of experts was completed and the data was content analysed. Indian firms have identified the need for AMT in R&D and prototype generation. AMT implementation helps Indian firms in mass customization and eases the manufacturing of complex geometric shapes. This study insights would help AMT managers in emerging economies to enable adoption drivers, overcome challenges and add strategic value with AMT. This is one of the very first studies on AMT with theoretical perspectives on the Miltenberg framework, adoption drivers, challenges and strategic value in the Indian manufacturing landscape.
Highlights
Additive Manufacturing Technology (AMT) or 3D Printing is a manufacturing process where the final object is manufactured by addition or deposition of the material layer by layer to build an object from a 3D Computer Aided Design file (Rayna and Struikova, 2015)
AMT can be classified into seven types: (1) Stereo Lithography (SLA) (2) Digital Light Processing (DLP) (3) Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) (4) Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) (5) Selective Laser Melting (SLM) (6) Electronic Beam Melting (EBM) (7) Laminated Object Manufacturing (LOM) (Vasquez, 2015)
The data analysis indicated the challenges of AMT, drivers of AMT, government support towards AMT and the strategic value that is created by additive manufacturing
Summary
Additive Manufacturing Technology (AMT) or 3D Printing is a manufacturing process where the final object is manufactured by addition or deposition of the material layer by layer to build an object from a 3D Computer Aided Design file (Rayna and Struikova, 2015). AMT has provided the ease of printing as a ready to use 3-D object for manufacturers This can disrupt the traditional manufacturing process. It is argued that AMT would have great impact on the way companies design their long-term and short-term strategy on technology and manufacturing (Kakati, 1997). The authors in this study explore the strategic value, drivers and strategy implementation challenges that firms are confronting with respect to adoption and application of AMT. It has been widely advocated in the developed countries that manufacturing firms should incorporate AMT in their manufacturing process. This paper is one of the first attempt to contribute about strategic imperatives of AMT in the expanding Indian manufacturing landscape
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