Abstract
The aim of this article is to characterize the impacts of Smart Additive Manufacturing (SAM) on industrial production, digital supply chains (DSCs) and corresponding digital value chains (DVCs), logistics and inventory management. The method used consists of a critical review of the literature, enriched by the authors’ field experience. The results show that digital transformation of manufacturing is affecting business models, from resource acquisition to the end user. Smart manufacturing is considered a successful improvement introduced by Industry 4.0. Additive Manufacturing (AM) plays a crucial role in this digital transformation, changing the way manufacturers think about the entire lifecycle of a product. SAM combines AM in a smart factory environment. SAM reduces the complexity of DSCs and contributes to a more flexible approach to logistics and inventory management. It has also spurred the growth and popularization of customized mass production as well as decentralized manufacturing, rapid prototyping, unprecedented flexibility in product design, production and delivery, and resource efficiency and sustainability. SAM technology impacts all five Fletcher’s stages in DVCs. However, the need for clear definitions and regulations on 3D printing of digital files and their reproduction, as well as product health, safety, and integrity issues, cannot be ignored. Furthermore, investment in this technology is still expensive and can be prohibitive for many companies, namely SMEs.
Highlights
This study examines the implications of smart additive manufacturing (SAM), or smart three-dimensional (3D) printing, for industrial production logistics and inventory management as well as for digital supply chains (DSCs) and digital value chains (DVCs) within the context of Industry 4.0
Pillar 3—Data: We are witnessing a significant increase in data collected from various sources, some of which have been triggered by the deployment of smart sensors, wireless technologies, and data analysis
In addition to the previous points, Additive Manufacturing (AM) technology can be a vital component of smart manufacturing due to its (i) high capacity for mass production customization; (ii) numerous benefits, such as time and material savings, rapid prototyping, high efficiency, and decentralized production; and (iii) networking potential including the possibility of managing an unlimited number of machines simultaneously from a single computer
Summary
This study examines the implications of smart additive manufacturing (SAM), or smart three-dimensional (3D) printing, for industrial production logistics and inventory management as well as for digital supply chains (DSCs) and digital value chains (DVCs) within the context of Industry 4.0. Technologies 2021, 9, 88 technologies and novel business models are accelerating an industry transformation that impacts current business methods and even the structure of the market [3] This new digital industrial paradigm is having a major impact on the digitization of production logistics applications, inventory management, supply chains (SCs), and value chains (VCs). Digital technologies have emerged in this context as a tool to overcome the challenges, with emphasis on Virtual Reality, AR, holography, 3D scanning, AM or At this point, digital transformation is crucial, as it increases the connection between supply chain members and allows SCs to be managed more efficiently, giving rise to DSCs and corresponding DVCs. As DSCs achieve more advanced automation and integration between their systems, the machines and equipment in production are coordinated via the Internet and smart sensors, and all the data generated in this process are stored in the cloud [18].
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