3D printing (3DP) has been heralded as a revolutionary technology that can alter the way production is organized across time and space – with important redistributive effects on geography and size of production activities. In this article, we examine the impacts that a widespread adoption of 3DP could have on restructuring, upgrading and distributing value added along manufacturing global value chains (GVC) – with brief examples from the aerospace and automotive industries. We highlight two possible scenarios for GVCs – a complementarity scenario of 3DP and traditional manufacturing overlapping, which would reproduce power relations in GVCs and the current distribution of value added in a ‘smiling curve’; and a substitution scenario of 3DP partly or fully superseding traditional manufacturing, which would have more transformational effects in terms of ‘rebundling’ activities, regionalizing or localizing GVCs, and flattening the smiling curve into a ‘smirk’.

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This paper reports the development of an alternative framework to help firms asses the role of additive manufacturing within their technology management strategy. Despite much recent attention, there has been little work to identify and classify the ways in which additive manufacturing or 3D printing is used as a strategic weapon for competitive advantage. It is not just a way of reducing supply chain lead time as striking examples are emerging of firms employing more radical business opportunities and innovative design techniques available. We review the existing literature on the technology application, examine the classic nozzle case study to identify previously undocumented opportunities from the technology, and add a new case of a firm with a more holistic and strategic focus. We argue that a multidimensional model is required to classify the various opportunities available and current understanding needs to be widened for firms to take full advantage.

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Anybody who has ever set foot in Indonesia’s capital will know that the perspective of having self-driving cars is intriguing.

Imagine how time spent behind the wheel could be used on something productive instead of building up frustrations from endless macet — the infamous Jakarta traffic jams. Also, imagine that self-driving cars could automatically find the shortest way to your destination.

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From the birth of industrialization, access to new technology has been a decisive factor in how value added is created and distributed across networks of global production. This article provides a balanced assessment of the potential impact that one of these technologies (3D printing, or 3DP) may have on the structure of Global Value Chains (GVCs). It examines the upgrading opportunities that 3DP provides, and develops two scenarios of the possible impact of 3DP on GVC restructuring: a complementarity scenario, where 3DP is applied to shorten the development cycles of products that are mass-produced using traditional technology and organization; and a substitution scenario, where 3DP partially replaces traditional manufacturing. These two are likely to co-exist for a period of time, but each has distinctive implications in terms of distribution of value added along GVCs and geographically.

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Uanset hvad du laver, vil elementer i dit job på et tidspunkt blive offer for teknologiens ostehøvl. Men samtidig opstår nye job og med dem en ny magtfordeling. Kapitalmagt udfordres af iværksættere, ekspertise udfordres af hurtig forældelse af kompetencer, evnen til at lære nyt bliver altafgørende.

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The economic growth model demands more sophistication than we award it

Dear economic and political leaders,
The term “economy” is originally Greek, and means household management. As a global leader, you share responsibility for the proper management of the household that is our planet, but the majority of you are currently doing a poor job. Under your management, our household is gradually deteriorating because of man-made climate change, and we are leaving an enormous bill for our next residents. When you discuss economic growth, you therefore must accept that we are not growing.

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When a technology pops up, a window of opportunity opens to transform our world, to address the truly big issues of our time be it environmental degradation, social inequality or global health. This is a brief yet defining moment that terms how a technology is applied in our homes and organizations, which market players will dominate its development and control its distribution. An attempt to disrupt our world with technology is defined right here, by those present and their abilities. Up until now, this space has naturally and in large been taken up by providers of technology and early adopters. It is them who have defined originality in technology and its disruptive potential, and it is them who finally have moved quickly to build the institutions suitable to promote its widespread application in society. But, as technology is increasingly embedded in society so should the discussions be regarding its purposeful application.

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