Abstract
The emergence of new technologies such as the Internet of Things, big data, and advanced robotics, together with risks such as climate change, rising labour costs, and a fluctuating economy, are challenging the current UK manufacturing model. In this paper, business models for re-distributed manufacture (RdM) are developed using anIDEF (Icam DEFinition for Function Modelling) description to serve as a guide for the implementation of the RdM concept in the consumer goods industry. This paper explores the viability of a re-distributed business model for manufacturers employing new manufacturing technologies such as additive manufacturing or three-dimensional (3D) printing, as part of a sustainable and circular production and consumption system. An As-Is value chain model is presented alongside the proposed new business model for a sustainable re-distributed manufacturing system. Both are illustrated via a case study drawn from the shoe manufacturing industry. The case study shows that there is a need for robust facilities in close proximity to the customer. These facilities are store fronts which can also manufacture, remanufacture, and provide services. The reduction in transportation and increase in customer involvement throughout the process are the main benefits that would accrue if a re-distributed model is implemented in the given industry.
Highlights
Based primarily on offshore and centralized facilities with large scale assembly lines to supply a mass market, the current manufacturing model is driven to change, by new technologies promoted in visions such as Industry 4.0, into a decentralized, on demand, localised, and customizable manufacturing model known as re-distributed manufacturing (RdM)
This study aims to explore through IDEF0 (Icam DEFinition for Function Modelling) the viability of a new business model for manufacturers employing additive manufacturing processes, such as 3D printing, as part of a circular and re-distributed production and consumption model for the footwear industry
Discussed below is: (1) the reasoning behind the selection of IDEF0 as a tool and its application in modelling a consumer goods manufacturing As-Is value chain, (2) how criteria where developed in order to determine the inputs, outputs, resources, and controls terminology to be used by each model, and (3) what are the main insights gained from the comparison between the As-Is and To-Be models
Summary
Based primarily on offshore and centralized facilities with large scale assembly lines to supply a mass market, the current manufacturing model is driven to change, by new technologies promoted in visions such as Industry 4.0, into a decentralized, on demand, localised, and customizable manufacturing model known as re-distributed manufacturing (RdM). Moreno and Charnley [2] corroborate this definition and state that RdM “enables a connected, localised, and inclusive model of consumer goods production and consumption that is driven by the exponential growth and embedded value of big data”. This new model aims to apply Industry 4.0 technologies to help change the organisation of manufacturing in terms of location and scale in order to reduce supply chain costs, improve sustainability, and provide customizable products more akin to an individual customer’s needs. The use of emerging technologies in the design and manufacture of consumer goods [4] such as information communication technologies, automation and robotics, big data analytics, additive manufacturing, cloud computing, and mobile technologies could enable intelligent and digitally networked manufacturing system, resulting in the redistribution of manufacturing towards smaller scale manufacturing processes [5]
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