Synergic Sustainability Implications of Additive Manufacturing in Automotive Spare Parts: A Case Analysis

Luis Isasi-Sanchez, Jesus Morcillo-Bellido, Jose Ignacio Ortiz-Gonzalez and Alfonso Duran-Heras
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Luis Isasi-Sanchez: EPS. Área de Ingeniería de Organización, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, 28911 Leganés, Spain
Jesus Morcillo-Bellido: EPS. Área de Ingeniería de Organización, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, 28911 Leganés, Spain
Jose Ignacio Ortiz-Gonzalez: EPS. Área de Ingeniería de Organización, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, 28911 Leganés, Spain
Alfonso Duran-Heras: EPS. Área de Ingeniería de Organización, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, 28911 Leganés, Spain

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 20, 1-18

Abstract: Triple bottom line (3BL) approaches to sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) often involve trade-offs between their three dimensions (economic, environmental, and social), thus curtailing its application and leading to goal unalignment among stakeholders. Under some circumstances, however, synergic approaches (typically involving disruptive innovations) might allow simultaneous improvement in one or more dimensions without compromising the others. This paper analyzes one such case: the potential of properly designed additive manufacturing approaches in the automotive spare parts industry to simultaneously boost profits and reduce environmental impact. It is based on the systematic analysis of the real spare parts business of a mid-size automotive brand in Spain. Its results suggest that such synergic, self-reinforcing opportunities do indeed exist, and might even be further developed by strategically integrating sustainability constituents such as circularity.

Keywords: additive manufacturing; disruption; sustainable supply chain management (SSCM); spare parts; automotive industry; business model (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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