Nov 18, 2016 | By Benedict

3D printing giant Stratasys and SAP, a German multinational software corporation, are together establishing a global network of 3D printing co-innovation labs for promoting the use of additive manufacturing on the production line.

Building on SAP’s 40+ years of industry experience and Stratasys’ expertise in all things 3D printing, a new network of co-innovation labs aims to enlighten SAP customers, employees, and partners about the possibilities of using additive manufacturing on the production line, transforming the extended supply chain and making 3D printing a valuable part of digital manufacturing. The co-innovation labs are being rolled out in Paris, France; Johannesburg, South Africa; and Walldorf, Germany. Two labs will also open in the States: in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania; and Palo Alto, California.

According to Stratasys, the joint venture seeks to merge Stratasys’ high-end 3D printing solutions with SAP’s leadership in enterprise workflows, resulting in a business-friendly model for widespread adoption of 3D printing technologies. “SAP and Stratasys share a common vision of the tremendous value distributed manufacturing brings to customers’ supply chains,” said Pat Carey, senior vice president of Sales at Stratasys North America. “Harnessing this potential fully requires that 3D printing be seamlessly integrated with enterprise workflows for certification, planning, procurement and production.”

The SAP Distributed Manufacturing initiative intends to make 3D printing an integral part of digital manufacturing by helping co-innovation customers and partners transform the extended supply chain. To help manufacturers wield additive manufacturing technologies in order to save on both costs and production time, SAP Distributed Manufacturing services will connect 3D printing to established business processes. The co-innovation labs will also provide an interactive learning and design thinking environment, enabling SAP customers and partners to experiment with new technologies.

“Manufacturers and their suppliers and production partners increasingly recognize the potential of 3D printing in smart digital supply chain strategies that are optimized with unprecedented speed and efficiency,” said Hans Thalbauer, senior vice president of Extended Supply Chain and IoT at SAP. “SAP is fast building a co-innovation network with leaders like Stratasys that share our vision for making connected, real-time distributed manufacturing a reality for our customers.”

SAP’s Distributed Manufacturing scheme is being run in collaboration with delivery service UPS, with the two companies aiming to “transform industrial 3D printing into a seamless distributed manufacturing process” by integrating SAP solutions for the extended supply chain and Internet of Things with UPS’s additive manufacturing and logistics network. In addition to Stratasys, other companies to join the initiative include Airbus APWorks, Fast Radius, HP Inc., Krones, Linear AMS, Moog Inc., and Sealed Air Corporation.

“The successful transition of 3D printing from prototyping to manufacturing requires integration with business IT systems,” said Scott Schiller, vice president of 3D market development at HP. “HP understands the importance of end-to-end integration to maximize efficiency and technology adoption and is joining the SAP co-innovation program to help bring this to life.”

SAP is currently seeking early adopters for the program, with registration open globally until January 2017.

Posted in 3D Printer Company

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