New Business Models for Sustainable Spare Parts Logistics: A Case Study

Additive manufacturing of spare parts significantly impacts industrial, social, and environmental aspects. However, a literature review shows that: (i) academic papers on the adoption of additive manufacturing have focused mainly on large companies; (ii) the methods required by SMEs to adopt new tec...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inSustainability Vol. 12; no. 8; p. 3071
Main Authors González-Varona, José M., Poza, David, Acebes, Fernando, Villafáñez, Félix, Pajares, Javier, López-Paredes, Adolfo
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Basel MDPI AG 01.04.2020
Subjects
3-D printers
Additive manufacturing
Business models
Case studies
Cost control
Customer services
Environmental aspects
Environmental impact
Environmental management
Literature reviews
Logistics
Manufacturers
Manufacturing
New technology
Qualitative research
Raw materials
Response time
Scientific papers
Small business
Spare parts
Supply chains
Sustainability
Sustainable development
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Summary:Additive manufacturing of spare parts significantly impacts industrial, social, and environmental aspects. However, a literature review shows that: (i) academic papers on the adoption of additive manufacturing have focused mainly on large companies; (ii) the methods required by SMEs to adopt new technologies differ from those employed by large companies; and (iii) recent studies suggest that a suitable way to help small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to adopt new additive manufacturing technologies from the academic world is by presenting case studies in which SMEs are involved. Given the increasing number of global SMEs (i.e., SMEs that manufacture locally and sell globally), we claim that these companies need to be assisted in adopting spare-parts additive manufacturing for the sake of resource and environmental sustainability. To bridge this gap, the purpose of this article is to present a case study approach that shows how a digital supply chain for spare parts has the potential to bring about changes in business models with significant benefits for both global SMEs (more effective logistic management), customers (response time), and the environment (reduced energy, emissions, raw materials, and waste).
ISSN:2071-1050
2071-1050
DOI:10.3390/su12083071