Work

Adopting Additive Manufacturing in After‐Sales: Developing a Typology of Corrective, Preventive, and Anticipatory Approaches

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: ABSTRACT Manufacturing firms face complex after‐sales challenges, including spare part shortages. While additive manufacturing (AM) offers a solution by minimizing costs and complexity, not all firms adopt AM equally, and research on differences in AM adoption in the context of spare part shortages is surprisingly scarce. To close this knowledge gap, we apply the awareness‐motivation‐capability (AMC) perspective. Our comparative case study of AM applications in 17 firms identifies three approaches how firms adopt AM—the corrective, preventive, and anticipatory approach. We find that the specific configuration of contextual factors related to a spare part shortage determines the approach firms follow. Using the AMC perspective, we discover and explain why firms differ in adopting AM despite suitable spare part characteristics and similar contexts. Through uniquely analyzing spare part shortages, our study contributes to AM research by challenging the assumption that economic justification is the sole driver of AM adoption and instead revealing that it is a context‐dependent process, with awareness and motivation serving as critical yet underexplored antecedents.

Source: Journal of Business Logistics

DOI: 10.1111/jbl.70000

Authors: Robin Kabelitz‐Bock, Kai Hoberg, Johannes Meuer

Institution: Kühne Logistics University

Language: English

Topic: Additive Manufacturing and 3D Printing Technologies

Subfield: Automotive Engineering

Field: Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Industry, innovation and infrastructure

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,400