First a novelty, then a useful and potentially disruptive device, 3D printing is the words on everyone's lips today. In a near future, consumers will be able to print not just toys for kids, but also human prostheses, bones and even vital organs, not to mention more state-of-the-art machinery. NASA has already launched a research with an ultimate goal of using the new technology for food replication. Bound to have a wide commercial application, 3D printers will no doubt reshape the retail environment.

As to prove that the trend exists, a number of shared 3D printing services is rapidly growing. Consumers can print something of their own design or use, designs that you can find in online catalogues or order through 3D design shops. Over time, these print shops are bound to replace thousands of stores full of products, some of which wait for months to be purchased by clients. It will be possible to print goods using designs from online services that offer designs for open-source, free-design goods and branded goods that may not seem very distinct except for a logo.

3D Printers to Downsize Inventories

Outside the world of manufacturing, where mass produced goods may still have a significant cost advantage over custom-printed ones, 3D printing will have a great impact downstream, i.e. in the market for spare parts and replacements. Demand in this sector may be less predictable, but it is more precise. Currently, many firms are set up to manage and store spare parts. Each location needs to carry thousands of different spare parts because it is not clear which ones will be needed where. In the future, consumers will be able to take a broken piece over to the 3D print shop to be reprinted. More ever, the shop may be able to reuse the materials in a broken part. While this means more savings for a consumer, the repair shop's revenue will be substantially reduced. Freight business (including logistics companies and centralized recycling operations) is another industry, which has a lot to lose once 3D technology has gone mainstream. If things can be made, used, broken or worn out and recycled closer to home, the need for transport significantly shrinks. Recycled materials do not need to be delivered to centralized processing centers and then forwarded to factories. Furthermore, products no longer need to be made in those factories and then shipped to clients or to inventory centers. As of now, American inventories held by manufacturers, wholesalers, and retailers are valued at around US$1.7tr, or about 10 percent of annual GDP. 

Tesco and UPS Ready to Embrace New Tech

UK grocery store chain Tesco intends to check the feasibility of bringing 3D printing to their stores. Potential uses under consideration are printing gifts, toys or even having a catalogue of spare parts for other products sold in the store, so clients could print them on demand. In future, kids visiting Tesco stores could design their own toys and then they would be able to get them made. Tesco clients could take a broken item in to store where it would be scanned in 3D and digitally repaired. UPS is another company leading the tech change. Its franchise retail division announced that it was offering 3D printing capabilities at some of its locations. The idea is being tested first in the San Diego area, with plans to expand the service elsewhere soon. A recent poll of small businesses by The UPS Store discovered interest in the service for creating artistic renderings, prototypes and promotional materials. IT department at Sainsbury’s is also developing a strategy centered around 3D printing, in belief that this technology will have a huge impact on the retail sector in general and supermarkets in particular.

Sources: http://www.howwemadeitinafrica.com; http://www.psfk.com; http://smallbiztrends.com; http://3dprintingindustry.com
Photo: http://www.macworld.co.uk/