Würth Additive White Paper Explains the Synergy Between AM & Digital Inventories

In the latest Additive Manufacturing (AM) Research white paper, co-produced with Würth Additive Group (WAG), AM Research and WAG describe the emergence of the market for digital inventory platforms, as well as the position of WAG’s Digital Inventory Services (DIS) within that market. Anyone interested in reading the white paper, titled “Always in Stock: Streamlining Inventory Management with Additive Manufacturing,” can download it here.

Additionally, attendees of the International Manufacturing Trade Show (IMTS) on September 10th can see a presentation about the white paper, featuring myself and WAG CEO AJ Strandquist, on the Formnext stage, from 1:15 to 1:45 (central time). IMTS attendees can also learn more about WAG at the company’s booth (West Building, Level 3, #433000).

The white paper explains, “Distributed manufacturing means being able to source parts from a diversity of suppliers, in such a way that producers are prioritized in terms of the best mix between geographical proximity, lead time for delivery, and cost per part. In order for organizations to access the advantages of distributed manufacturing, they need to cultivate and maintain digital inventory platforms across the whole enterprise.

“In this context, AM is the best tool that exists for enabling the optimal combination between distance from supplier to customer, production time, and purchase price. …”

First unveiled in early 2024, DIS capitalizes on the Würth Industrial Group’s unrivaled position within the global fastener market, which the German conglomerate has leveraged into being one of the world’s largest industrial suppliers. WAG first emerged as the additive division for the parent company, before starting to offer its services to the general marketplace.

Along these lines, WAG views its pivot as akin to Amazon Web Services’ trajectory from internal company project to the biggest single source of Amazon’s profit. Generally, this is a compelling way to view the emergence of the digital inventory market as a whole, considering its gradual growth as an offshoot of the individual activities of the world’s largest early adopters of AM.

As both the digital inventory and AM industries continue to evolve, they have a unique opportunity to synergize with one another to optimize performance and maximize growth. Read all about it here!

Images courtesy of Würth Additive Group