A Business Model Perspective on Additive Manufacturing
Abstract: Additive manufacturing (AM) is an immature manufacturing technology which is often considered to have the potential of disrupting the manufacturing industry and many industrial companies are currently investigating how they can position themselves within the AM market. Technological innovations alone are often insufficient to fully exploit the benefits of new technology and requires to be accompanied with business model innovation. Consequently, companies face challenges to find guidance related to the application of AM; what to offer and to whom (value proposition), how to deliver such offering (value creation) and how to capture the profit (value capture) – that is, how to structure an AM business model. Therefore, this research investigates how large incumbent manufacturing companies tackle the emerging AM market from a business model perspective. The research unpacks the common themes within three business model components (value proposition, value creation and value capture) in the context of an AM business model, where theme 5 is contradicted by theory and by several other themes: 1. Immature demand 2. Internal cases as a starting point 3. Knowledge offerings 4. End-to-end solutions 5. Broad customer focus 6. Start in a technology niche, then expand 7. Invest in machines to learn AM 8. Change in designer mindset required 9. Partnerships to drive the AM market forward 10. A shift in power 11. Close customer relations 12. It is a race to the market The research is based on a multiple-case study consisting of 16 interviews at six different companies and two universities.
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