Posted: September 9th, 2022

3D PRINTING

3D Printing
As a part of a crucial ERP system, 3D printing is increasingly gaining popularity among large manufacturers. The process, also known as additive engineering, is premised to revolutionize engineering. However, the rapidly growing popularity of the production method does not translate into automatic adoption in manufacturing. The process has both revolutionary advantages and disadvantages. The extent of use will also determine whether an organization needs to integrate the approach towards engineering its operations (Vanderploeg, Lee, and Mamp 2017). Having been hired by a large multinational firm that runs manufacturing outlets in developed and emerging nations, the advice is to continue implementing an ERP system that would enable it to manage its worldwide operations that span diverse sectors around the world. ERP stands for enterprise resource management, which is a consolidated approach of collecting and organizing business data through an incorporated software suite (Greasley & Wang 2017). An ERP software consists of applications that automate business processes, such as production, sales quotations, accounting, among many others (Greasley & Wang 2017). One of the good examples is the Apparel ERP, which is a system in the fashion industry. The system encompasses aspects, such as 3D printing, which will be the main focus of this discussion. The attention will be focused on Zara, which is a multinational fashion company. The rationale for such a model is that the clothing sector has to handle much changeover when the fashion trends and seasons get altered. Even though 3D printing faces limitations since it may reduce the morale of employees and only works on small products, the process should be adopted in both new product development and manufacturing in large multinational firms since it is fast, allows for rapid prototyping, and encourages creativity and flexibility of designers.
Advantages and Disadvantages of using 3D Printing in New Product Development (NPD) and Manufacturing for a Large Multinational Firm.
The selected industry of operation is the fashion sector. The chosen firm is Zara, which is a large multinational company operating in the clothing industry. Zara belongs to Inditex, which is one of the globe’s biggest distribution groups (Aftab et al., 2018). In the company, the customer is at the core of its distinct business model encompassing design, production, distribution, and sales through the detailed retail network. 3D is considered to be changing the perception of the industry by indicating what inputs can be used, including how they can be produced. Such an issue has already started to alter the operational approaches behind everything, including from automotive to architecture. For consumer goods, 3D printing can scale customization in a profound manner (Sun & Zhao, 2017). With the emergence and expansion of major brands, such as Zara, fast fashion has become a new norm. The approach has upended the seasonality experience in release cycles, decreased the period between when fashion trends are noted and availed to customers in-store.
Advantages of Using 3D Printing
One of the advantages of using additive engineering in the fashion industry, specifically Zara, is the flexibility that it accords designers during new product development. With the potential associated with on-site 3D printing in-store after undertaking orders from clients, the supply chain model in the fashion industry or firm can be shortened on a large scale in the coming days (Ottosson 2016). At Zara, it not only reduces resource consumption, waste, and greenhouse gas emissions but also improves management and inspection of working situations and other related labour matters involving suppliers. Unlike the conventional models, 3D printing at Zara is additive since it helps solve the issue of fabric waste from both cutting and sewing processes. Based on its flexibility, a 3D printer can do the color directly on the products, thus solving the issues of wastewater and pollution (Spahiu, Canaj, & Shehi, 2020). Most importantly, the complex supply chain involved from designing to retailing is easy to shrink into various 3D printers at every retail store of Zara. Indeed, this would help lower waste and carbon footprints.
Additive engineering also allows firms in the fashion sector to prototype rapidly during the design process. New product development at Zara has to be based on the customer’s voice (Aftab et al., 2018). Therefore, design efforts target the creation of products that satisfy the needs of clients, which means that they provide the intended value. With the magic of 3D scanning that offers concise measurement of customers’ bodies, 3D printing can customize and print exact-sized wears for clients, thus saving garments from being underutilized (Ottosson and Skogsrřd 2016). In product development in the fashion sector, designers do not have to send the prototype back and forth with suppliers. However, they can easily print directly the prototype at their studios. Such an approach saves Zara, costs, and lowers its carbon footprint (Weller, Kleer, and Piller 2015). In case the materials are recycled and reusable, it can be more sustainable for product development.
3D printing is also fast compared to other techniques. Speed in production may translate into higher revenues for organizations, especially large multinational companies (Jiang, Kleer, and Piller 2017). Wastages are also reduced. In the production process at Zara, for the existing 3D printer for fabrics, after the raw materials get to the liquid solution state and later solid fibers, they are printed on the mold to become fabric or even comprehensive garments. Certain steps are skipped saving time and cost, including the process of fiber, yarn, and fabric production, and pattern creation. Others that are eliminated include sewing, cutting, washing, drying, and dyeing. When the technology is used in making small batch components, it creates perfect products in record time. Firms do not need to make new molds every time they want to create the product (Laplume, Petersen, and Pearce 2016). The process will be a great benefit for Zara as it will save both time and cost.
The savings that are attributed to additive engineering will also affect the costs of manufacturing, especially for large multinational firms, such as Zara, that handle voluminous products. If the approach is used as a single step in the production process, an organization will experience less reworking related costs (Choonara et al. 2016). All the skipped steps due to the use of 3D printers play a significant role in reducing costs of labor in the conventional production of clothes. Furthermore, with simpler and short supply chains, it becomes easy to trail the review of the fabrication. From an economic point of view, 3D printing saves retailers’ significant costs, including those that could have been incurred in the form of pattern making, scaling, marking, cutting, and sewing, among other processes. Furthermore, the business will benefit from an increase in the accuracy of the production process, which reduces defect cases (Jiang, Kleer, and Piller 2017). Therefore, the organization does not have to invest in new printing equipment.
Disadvantages
As an operations manager in the fashion industry and having looked at Zara’s operations closely, one needs to understand the disadvantages that arise from the application of 3D printing. In as much as three-dimensional printing is promising for Zara and the rest of the players in the fashion sector, inherent drawbacks of the technology may make it less effective for new product development. The first limitation of the technology is inadequate materials required for printing, especially for large manufacturing companies (Jiang, Kleer, and Piller 2017). The whole idea of using 3D printing is that it is less labour-intensive and more machine-intensive. The fact would remain to be that traditional manufacturing in the fashion sector has a wide array of raw materials that can be utilized. In the present day, 3D printers can even handle one hundred raw materials and develop products that utilize additional raw materials that are still in the development phases.
Another limitation is the size of the build. In the fashion industry, most of the 3D machines that are in use today are too small. Therefore, they cannot be used to print large complete products. The size of items developed using 3D printers is limited. Nevertheless, there is hope for the future as big items can be developed using 3D printing (Attaran 2017). In some segments within the fashion industry, the print chambers are so small that the printing has to be done in parts and assembled to a complete product at a later stage. Printing products in parts defeats one of the appeals of the technology since it means that the time saving that the technology promises will be lost (Martelli et al. 2016). Additionally, labor may be needed to complete the entire build. The competitive edge of additive printing is essentially lost when manual labor is required.
The technology also requires post-processing. In a large multinational, such as Zara, it would be noted that 3D would require cleaning that is necessary when parts are done printing, which has a delaying effect on the speed of printing (Qui 2018). The problem is responsible for the loss of the competitive advantage that the approach has over the remaining production methods. The post-processing steps may be too time-consuming depending on the size of the build, the technology used, and the material used in printing.
Even though additive manufacturing is ideal in some instances, it is detrimental to other processes. 3 D printing means that material is added in layers to create the complete product. The present 3D modelling and rendering programs being used in the fashion industry are founded on a certain coordinate model, which encompasses 3D Studio Max and Solidworks, among others (Lee 2019). Such developments were not made with a traditional fashion designer in consideration. Therefore, they tend to be restricted in the kind of structure and the intuitive interface for a typical product design. Additive manufacturing may lead to weak lines among the three-dimensional models both in new product development and large-scale manufacturing (Lee, An, and Chua 2017). If a complete part is to be used in a stressful environment, additive manufacturing is not recommended.
Part 2: Plan for 3D Printing Implementation.
Implementing 3D printing
The process of implementation of additive manufacturing in Zara will be based on technology contingency theory. The theory provides the predictors of success at the plant and organizational level for Zara. The technology being used and the social processes within Zara determine the speed and effectiveness of the implementation of the technology (Kim, Chung, Lee, and Preis 2015). Integrating additive manufacturing in the plants run by Zara, which has many branches worldwide, means that the business has to address change management and the resistance that may be witnessed within the organization.
Project management phases will be adopted in the implementation process for the new technology. Five phases exist in project management. All the phases ensure that the organization can apply knowledge and skills in a broad range of activities to meet the requirements set for a given project (Nicholas and Steyn 2017). The project management phases must be completed in an iterative manner, as shown in chart 1 below. Already, for Zara, it has been lauded for its products’ speed-to-market and in various other ways. In most cases, Zara is used as an exemplar in the digitalized and vertically-integrated supply chain.
Chart 1: 3D Printing Implementation Step.

Phase 1: Project Initiation
Project initiation represents the start of the project. The aim of this phase in project management is to define the project and provide a broad understanding of what it entails (Chmielarz and Zborowski 2018). For Zara, initiating the implementation of additive manufacturing will require a study on the feasibility of the method within the organization. During this stage, it is necessary to determine the plants’ locations around the world that are suitable to implement the mode of manufacturing. The control that is afforded by Zara’s segments in in-house design, manufacturing, and distribution abilities will allow for the step to happen as conceptualized. Such capabilities have enabled its optimal sales planning advantage.
Phase 2: Project Planning
At Zara, project planning will involve the development of a roadmap that will be used for the implementation of the new project. Planning entails setting goals (Chmielarz and Zborowski 2018). The organization will have to create SMART goals. The planning phase will incorporate stating the scope of the project. For Zara, the scope will incorporate the manufacturing and product development segments of its operations. The scope statement will provide information on what needs to be done during the implementation phase. Some of the milestones to be used at Zara will include sensitization of the employees about the new project, training operators, addressing potential issues that may arise from the project, and stakeholder engagement.
Phase 3: Project Execution
The third phase of project management at Zara for the implementation of 3D printing involves the development and completion of project milestones. Zara already has a well-trained and skilled personnel portfolio, which will be depended upon for conducting this development. Additionally, the budget allocation will be made for the software and printers. Procurement processes for the project will start at this point in the project management. Zara has to identify how to allocate capital effectively, including new manufacturing processes and technologies that can be incorporated into its supply chain without interrupting other operations and impair the capacity to serve the already existing clientele.
Phase 4: Project Performance and Monitoring
The phase involves an assessment of the progression and performance within the project. Key performance indicators will be defined at this phase. For the purpose of the implementation of 3D manufacturing at Zara, the project leaders will set the measures. One of the key performance indicators will be the ability of the said project to provide working prototypes for product improvement or mass production. Other monitoring aspects that Zara’s management will have to consider include how the stated project will meet the schedule or budget requirements (Kerzner 2018). Quality aspects will also be considered when assessing the project and its collective effectiveness. Additionally, the implementation team at Zara will have to assess project performance, which incorporates the assessment of some of the noted changes within the project. Going by the fact that 3D printing provides a chance for Zara to further consolidate its supply chain, considerations have to be made about the issues that may arise and the speed of handling them.
Phase 5: Closure
The phase will determine the completion of the project. Any outside labor is essentially terminated (Chmielarz and Zborowski 2018). The consultants hired by Zara to supervise the project implementation will be dismissed. Some of the valuable team members shall be recognized. It also entails reinforcing the project as a new normal within the organization. Zara will terminate the project by closing or completing contracts with the external consultants who worked on the installation and initiation of the additive manufacturing unit.

Reference List
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