A Truly Revolutionary Event

Dennis Harding          2nd May 2011

Every now and then something happens in the world of enterprise and new technology-watching that makes you stop and think ‘yes, this is important. It really could change the way we do things.’ We are used to Sci Fi showing us outlandish things in the future which will drastically alter our lives. The reality is that much of Science fiction is already in use today. It is often how different parts are fitted together or by its mass use that the way we do things changes things to the extent that the science fiction becomes science fact.

Imagine using your own IT system and your own printer to change the way the world orders, buys, moves and makes the objects that we use every day. You alter the design of a music system or even a car and it is made to your specifications, and delivered to where you require it. Additive Manufacturing will be doing just that very soon. It is simply an efficient way of putting every one of us in control of choosing the designs we would like for the objects we want and getting them made when we want them and delivered to where we want them. OK, so we have been doing this on a smaller scale for many things for years. But when it becomes widespread and mainstream, the implications for global economic changes are staggering. If taken to its logical extent, no longer would we need container ships full of goods to be sailed halfway round the world. No longer would half the manufactured goods of any country need to be transported. The energy savings are huge and so are the shifts in power – away from the manufacturers to the individual purchasers, who will be active participants in the manufacturing process and not passive consumers with limited choice.

An article by Andrew Chappell, to be found in full elsewhere on this WES site, and available to be read in full by clicking here, explains more fully and is worth remembering – you read it on his WES article site first !