Epilogue
Bill gates is credited with saying that we overestimate what is possible in one year and underestimate what can be accomplished in 10. Yes, 3D printing has come out of a multiyear hype cycle, but that hasn't held it back. With the advent of digital transformation, the increased use of automation, and the focus on addressing the issues that have long hampered its widespread adoption, 3D printing is now on a course to realize the promise that its disruptive nature has long held.
In late 2015, DHL published its vision of how supply chains will look by 2025. They concluded that end users will continue to demand more customization, meaning that supply chain managers will have to cope with continually increasing complexity, and therefore they must deliver an ever-broader portfolio of products. In parallel, markets will continue to change their dynamics, with more suppliers emerging, a growing lacuna of qualified and skilled people, and new technologies emerging to bridge that situation. The result, DHL made clear, is that companies will be forced to rethink their current supply chain models. Future supply chains will be digital, networked, transparent, collaborative, intelligent, and resilient. Those qualities are all realized with 3D printing. As Barrett Thompson at Zilliant said:
“Viable use cases for 3D printing technology are rapidly growing, and as they do, industrial B2B manufacturers and distributors will be pressed to find creative ways to incorporate them.”1
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