Exploring the Integration of Additive Manufacturing: Lessons Learned and Success Factors of Use Cases

The purpose of this paper is to present propositions for facilitating the integration of additive manufacturing (AM) for manufacturing companies in the heavy vehicle sectors based on identified success factors and lessons learned in use cases with different operational purposes. A case study was conducted that identified 42 retrospective use cases from three main sources highlighting seven different use case types with contributions from seven sectors representing 14 countries on four continents. Six success factors (technology infrastructure, relative advantage, organizational readiness, competitive pressure, expectations of market trends, and trading partner) and 20 lessons learned sorted into five dimensions (additive thinking, management aspects, practice makes perfect, AM acceptance, and AM experts) were identified in the use cases based on the analysis. Three propositions covering the three stages of integration were derived based on the identified success factors and lessons learned. These propositions should provide guidance on what managers need to be prepared for when integrating AM step-by-step. Integrating AM is no simple feat, and the propositions only scratch the surface since the complexity of AM runs deep both technically and managerially. Future research should investigate in-depth operational capabilities and, if applicable, dynamic capabilities to further enhance facilitating the integration of AM step-by-step.