
Change Management and 3D printing live in action: The combination leads to more revenue for our clients
As part of our cooperation with Steinbeis Consulting Center IMAPS, we have jointly advised a company in both 3D printing and change management. Our client is a manufacturer of plastic parts by injection molding and a pioneer in the use of the 3D printing process. In particular, as an owner-managed company, the company faces the constant challenge of staying competitive. That is why they have recognized the opportunities presented by the new technology and have developed a novel production process.
Thanks to the use of new materials and the production possibilities, it is now possible to manufacture products more cost-effectively in small batches and thus to position themselves against the competitors. At the same time, however, the company also sees challenges arising from Industry 4.0 and Additive Manufacturing. For example, the technology required a major rethinking on the part of the developers and the tool manufacturers. After all, the development times are declining and the seasoned engineer must acknowledge the fact that there are quite different possibilities for him to develop a work piece.
At the same time, the employees in the administrative departments are confronted with the fact that customers expect a higher degree of standardization in the bidding process: entering the necessary data on the website while simultaneously transferring the order to the machine makes people the guardian of the data. At the same time, the machine and machine operators are also required to be more flexible. Not only does work become more personal-even during working hours, therefore resulting in poor contact and thus requiring knowledge beyond what was originally learned.
The company has recognized the need for a good change management in the introduction of the 3D printing process in its production facility. Not only was the focus on the technology, but through the cooperation with Steinbeis, the employees were also involved in the development from the very beginning. Together, the opportunities that would arise for each employee were explained and the necessary competences acquired. At the same time, the manager of the whole process had a direct link to the production.
In the end, the whole process paid off: the company won an invitation to tender from a global cosmetics manufacturer.
We would like to thank you for our time together and we look forward to further cooperation.