Sustainability is an important issue for industry and there is a lot of focus on it from governments, research institutions and trade bodies. But has it become just the latest in a series of handline grabbing bandwagons? Having attended a number of events and listened to many presentations where sustainability has been the main topic, it certainly seems to be well and truly hitched up to a couple of other bandwagons that are still rolling forwards, and with some pace too, “Net Zero” and “3D Printing”.
I too am guilty of standing up in front of people and bestowing the wisdom of using 3D printing to help achieve Net Zero whilst also being a sustainable form of manufacturing, but there is a big difference in simply trying to balance some numbers to achieve Net Zero, and actually reducing harmful emissions in everyday manufacturing processes, and/or using less natural resources. Here I’ll discuss some of what industry could or should be doing versus what is actually on the bandwagon. I hope that some will realise that they are playing the wrong instruments or, perhaps worse still, are completely out of tune.
First of all let’s address Sustainability and all that it should mean because for far too many it simply means let’s recycle more. That isn’t entirely wrong, and whilst recycling is no doubt an extremely important part of sustainability, even economically and environmentally a huge contributor, it is very far from the whole picture.
How many would place any of these on their list of considerations when reviewing how sustainable is their business?
- Staff retention and recruitment
- Stability of current suppliers and customers
- Location and transport links
If a business loses key employees, whether through retirement or abandonment, they are then at risk of not being able to continue their operations. If a key supplier suddenly hits hard times and they can’t deliver what’s required then the business could be placed in jeopardy. Or, if customer base shifts, or local transport infrastructure cannot support growth then this could have a severe impact on a business. All these are intrinsic to sustaining a successful and profitable business that can continue into the future. They are not separated from the more popular themes that most seem to concentrate on when presenting sustainability either.
Recycling doesn’t always have to mean just materials, and something that many companies today fall short on is recycling the knowledge within a company. Take someone that has worked in a business for many years and is about to retire. How many would include in their sustainability plans a knowledge transfer from that person to others in the business, or to new employees being trained up? I know, many reading this are now thinking, of course it’s obvious, but I can tell you there are many that don’t give this any thought at all. I’ve been in companies myself where someone has left and afterwards there’s been lots of questions like, how did Joe Bloggs do that before? So a company with a pathway to sustainability must always plan for training and internal knowledge transfer. The consequence of not doing this correctly can equate to losses in time and materials, since training from a position of uncertainty can create waste through intrinsic failures, as opposed from a position of certainty, where it might be possible to get it right first time. While big business might have a good handle on this, more often than not small and medium sized business, that focus more on just the day to day running of operations, might not have the right level of foresight.
On the other hand, if the knowledge that is passed on is just old knowledge with no experience of what could be alternative ways of accomplishing tasks, then this could stunt growth. Here, the solution lies in planning and acknowledging the need for continuous improvement and training. Especially, in a manufacturing environment where innovation is happening at a far greater rate than ever before. Acquiring the knowledge to use new processes, like 3D printing and Additive Manufacturing technologies could present routes to being more efficient, or less wasteful.
Similarly, in the typical supply chain of many SMEs, there are many companies that could not honestly say that if they were to analyse their list of key suppliers they would have a back-up option, or even two, for every critical item. Or on the other foot, they probably never give a second thought to the stability of their main set of customers. From first hand experience, I’ve witnessed the difficulties faced by a company when their customer base disappears overnight, or when a critical component is sourced from just one company and they are cut-off from that component for whatever reason. Here sustainability is about being agile, being able to adjust quickly to unforeseen changes and perhaps have alternatives in the supply chain. An element in which 3D printing, in the right set of circumstances, can offer tremendous solutions. By considering suppliers that operate with these new advanced manufacturing technologies, and including then in planning for when things go wrong, your business will be resilient to change and more sustainable.
Probably one of the biggest fallacies about 3D Printing and being more sustainable is the idea of shorter supply routes and decreasing transport distances. This is mainly linked to reducing harmful emissions, and it’s often said that additive manufacturing allows you to produce parts at the point of need. This supposedly will eliminate the need for large stocks and having to ship around the world. This is a great picture to paint but there are so few companies that have 3D printing capabilities distributed at all their points of contacts with customers, or end users. Besides, the equipment and feedstock materials still need to be shipped to all these far off places too.
However, there are aspects in the 3D printed solutions that additive manufacturing can offer that do meet the aims of being more sustainable. These are when a company is able to successfully simplify an existing product to be made from fewer parts. Here, there is also a direct benefit to the environment resulting in an increase in sustainability credentials of that business. Reducing the size of required warehousing, can reduce the energy consumption of a business. Reducing the number of stock items can save time and money related to inventory management. Simplifying designs leads to less time required to assemble and fabricate parts, also potentially reducing the requirements for testing and inspection. Finally, simplified parts are often a lot lighter, and this will ultimately require less energy to transport the objects, thus decreasing the amount of fuel and emissions.
M A M solutions focusses on bringing you solutions to your sustainability goals through advice and training on the benefits of working with advanced 3D printing technologies. So if thinking about how your business can be more sustainable leaves you feeling lost in the woods. Call me, Martin McMahon, today and I will assist you in sorting the wood from the tress.