Demonstrator - On demand manufacturing for resilient production (DEM-ON DM)

Purpose and goal:

The industry faces challenges because of global shocks and disruptive changes. The target of the study was to investigate conditions, opportunities, and requirements for establishing a system demonstrator in North Middle Sweden for on demand manufacturing of critical spare parts. The aim is to improve the competitiveness and resilience of the industry.

Questions were to be answered regarding potential, stakeholders, enablers, scale-up, needs and effects, where the system dimensions infrastructure, technology, business models, policy and culture were considered. Expected results and effects:

The study shows that there are good conditions to establish a system demonstrator in North Middle Sweden for on demand manufacturing. Through a system of stakeholders, original equipment manufacturers and local workshops, value chains and concepts can be developed to be disseminated nationally and internationally. With targeted efforts, the demonstrator can contribute to resilience, competitiveness, and sustainability in regional and Swedish industry, due to reduced disruptions, emissions, and costs, as well as more resource-efficient and innovative manufacturing.

Approach and implementation:

The pre-study had a top-down/bottom-up perspective, where actors were involved as stakeholders and enablers. Workshops, meetings and interviews with industry, material producers and academia answered questions about conditions, potential and requirements. The system was identified, a vision was visualized, system dimensions were challenged, mission and framework were established, and concepts were prototyped in real environment.

Meanwhile, stakeholders were gathered for a possible establishment. The work basically followed Vinnova´s Designing mission methodology.