Enabling Co-creation in Product Design Processes Using 3D-Printing Processes

Abstract

For a long time, geographical distances restricted competition, nowadays competition is global. Thus, companies must build up strategies to cope with this situation. Individualized products could help enterprises to retain customers and their market position due to a differentiated supply. In this research paper we discuss 3D-printing processes as enabler for Co-Creation in product design processes. It enables enterprises to react quickly to customer preferences and changing trends e.g., in design. Furthermore, 3D-Printing enables the integration of customers into product innovation processes. This ends up in Co-Creation and the emergence of related advantages (e.g., customer-centric products or production processes). However, operational processes when using 3D-printing processes for co-creation were not investigated in depth so far. But nevertheless, the improvement of manufacturing processes is important in BPM practice and research as well. Therefore, we address this gap in our paper.