One of the more practical changes is happening in spare-parts management.

Traditionally, companies have had to keep physical inventories of replacement parts. This can become expensive when a part is rarely needed, especially for older equipment. A company may end up storing thousands of components simply because it cannot predict when one of them will be required and paying to store parts that may sit unused for years.
3D printing offers another option. Instead of keeping every part on a shelf, manufacturers can keep the design as a digital file and produce the physical component only when it is needed. This approach, often described as product-on-demand or inventory-free manufacturing, moves manufacturing closer to the point of use.
This does not mean that warehouses will disappear overnight. Some components will always make sense to manufacture in large quantities. But for slow-moving spare parts, discontinued components, and products that need to be customised, keeping the design rather than the finished product can make much more sense.
Physical spare part storage is quickly becoming a thing of the past. Find a digital warehouse solution to help you shorten supply chains, eliminate part obsolescence, cut costs, and minimize lead times.
This approach is particularly useful for industries where equipment stays in service for many years like appliances, mobilities, etc….