Supply chain network design: a case study of the regional facilities analysis for a 3D printing company

Abstract

3D printing supply chain network. The objective is to analyze regional facility configurations in order to lower investment risks for an organization that aims to provide additive manufacturing The growing 3D printing market can be an attraction for investment in new businesses, which may entail strategic planning for new ventures. This paper presents a case study of designing a services for orthopedic and dental prostheses production. To this end, the competitive environment, the aggregating factor and logistic costs, tariffs and tax incentives, regional demand, political factors, the value of currency, and the demand uncertainty are analyzed. The results indicate that the adopted framework for network design decisions effectively allows the analysis of regional facility configuration. It also suggests that there are no hindering factors to the implementation of a 3D printing service company. In the region studied, there are fiscal incentives of more than 60% for taxes on the movement of goods between municipalities, which can be an advantage when locating facilities outside the capital. Competitors are well qualified, but there is room for new companies focused on quality and price, which may be a case for specialized products such as protheses. The estimated demand ranges from 146 to 509 units per month, which may be an opportunity for a new entrant given the few additive manufacturing ventures identified in the region.