3D Printing Has the Potential to Change Supply Chains

At a specialist forum at transport logistic 2025, the focus was on a technology that is increasingly showing the potential to change supply chains worldwide: industrial 3D printing. Under the title “3D Printing and Its Impact on Global Transport”, the session offered a mix of different perspectives on the topic. Andreas Müller from Logismedia Group AG moderated the program.

(Munich) Dr. Max Siebert, co-founder and managing director of Replique, opened the session by describing how industrial 3D printing has evolved from a niche solution to a globally scalable production alternative. Replique operates a platform that connects digital product data with a global network of over 250 qualified manufacturing partners.

“We are experiencing a paradigm shift,” said Siebert. Instead of physical spare parts inventory, digital storage concepts are emerging, where design data is produced locally as needed. For manufacturers, this means reduced inventory, lower capital commitment, and accelerated response times. Using practical examples – such as a cooling water elbow for a ship engine or optimized hydraulic blocks – Siebert demonstrated how flexible, decentralized production with 100% variable cost structures is made possible.

The automotive industry is also experiencing tangible change: “In a project with an OEM, we produced axle joints via 3D printing – from the request to the digital model to series production.” Replique not only offers production but also engineering, quality management, and system integration, for example in SAP Ariba. The logistics sector is directly affected: transport volumes are shifting, shipping routes are shortening – or disappearing entirely.

From Warehouse to Printing Station: Seifert Logistics Embraces Decentralized Manufacturing

In the second presentation, Dr.-Ing. Fabian Frommer from the Seifert Logistics Group examined the topic from the perspective of a logistics service provider. The central thesis: 3D printing can – integrated into logistical processes – become a crucial differentiating feature. Frommer described how traditional concepts of spare parts logistics are shifting towards digital supply chains.

“The physical warehouse is replaced by the digital model,” he explained. In practice, this means: instead of producing for stock and transporting over long distances, spare parts can be generated directly at the destination. Frommer cited examples from internal process optimization and customer projects, where components like air distributors or handle covers are produced decentralized and handed over as a value-added service embedded in logistical processes.

Complete integration is particularly important: from the CAD model through production planning to assembly. The logistics service provider is not displaced but takes on new tasks – as a platform operator, quality manager, or supervisor of decentralized production networks.

Scientific Perspective: Supply Chains in Transition

The third contribution was made by Dr. oec. Katrin Oettmeier from the OST – Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences, who presented how 3D printing profoundly changes supply chains from both scientific and industrial perspectives. The focus was on the question of what impact additive manufacturing has on central processes of supply chain management (SCM).

“New network structures are emerging,” said Oettmeier. Traditional links like material suppliers or central production plants may disappear, while new players – platforms, local printing service providers – complement the supply chain. The areas of procurement, product development, and quality management are particularly affected. Oettmeier pointed out the high design freedom in 3D printing, which allows for functional integration and lightweight construction, as well as new requirements for employee qualifications and handling qualification data.

Regarding the transport sector, she made the following nuanced assessment: shipment volumes may tend to remain stable, but shipment weights could decrease due to lightweight construction and powder processing. Transport distances are currently still high – due to centralized production – but could significantly reduce in the medium term through decentralization.

Strategic Turning Point for Logistics

The session made it clear: 3D printing is no longer a vision of the future but an increasingly mature component of industrial value creation. For the logistics industry, this opens up extensive opportunities – for example, to reposition itself as a provider of intelligent, integrated production solutions.

The central keywords were: decentralization, platform economy, flexibility. Companies that adopt additive manufacturing early can not only optimize processes but also prepare against global supply chain risks.

The transport will not decrease due to 3D printing, but it can change. More transports with short distances and fewer transports, especially in the area of sea freight.

Photo: © Loginfo24 / Image Caption (l.r.n.l.): Dr. Max Siebert (Replique), Dr. Katrin Oettmeier (Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences), Dr. Fabian Frommer (Seifert Logistics), and Andreas Müller (Logismedia)