After a year fraught with supply chain and environmental crisis, the industrial world is being incentivized to adopt technological solutions, such as additive manufacturing, that improve the way we design and ship products.
In 2021, the global supply chain was roiled by the COVID-19 pandemic while the environment sent disastrous warnings of the planet’s fatigue with our inaction on climate change. The common refrain from manufacturers was “I can’t get parts to make my products,” or “My product is stuck at the port and I have no idea when to expect it.”
As these problems escalated—deeply affecting people, companies and economies—3D printing proved to be an important part of the supply chain solution. By giving companies more autonomy over the way their products are designed, produced and shipped, and enabling them to return production back to their home markets, OEMs began 3D printing their way to streamlining supply chains while reducing their footprint on the environment.