Tag: Disruptive Technology

Two master’s students, Maryam Salman and Waqas Mushtaq, at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) completed a thesis paper together about the structure of the supply chain network and if additive manufacturing can be considered a disruptive technology in business. The paper, titled “Impact of Additive Manufacturing on Supply Chain Network Structure,” is essentially a study of 15 different Norwegian firms and their use of additive manufacturing.

The two co-authors interviewed and observed the companies in order to provide detailed case studies and, as the paper states, “empirically ground the networked use of additive manufacturing.”

“This study has proven to be a great way to learn about new subjects and gain a comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms involved in production, supply chain network structure, impact of additive manufacturing on network structure and the degree to which additive manufacturing can be considered as a disruptive innovation,” Salman and Mushtaq wrote in the preface of their paper.

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Democratization of 3D printing and disruptive innovation are among some of the slightly vague, but recognizable, terms that those who follow the 3D printing / additive manufacturing (AM) industry have probably encountered. So, what is the practical translation of these concepts to individuals and companies incorporating 3D printing in their business planning?

Democratization of technology generally refers to the process by which access to technology rapidly and readily becomes accessible to more people (e.g., the internet). At the height of 3D printing hype in 2014, opportunities for selling low-cost FFF 3D printers to individual consumers was presented under this banner. The key learning that shortly followed was that a product/technology “push” without an appropriate market “pull” (benefit to the targeted market) is a challenging (and costly) proposition.

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