Implications of 3D Printing for the United States Postal Service

Samuel T. Cutting (), Mark E. Meitzen, Brad P. Wagner, Christopher W. Backley, Charles L. Crum and Bryant Switzky
Additional contact information
Samuel T. Cutting: Christensen Associates
Mark E. Meitzen: Christensen Associates
Brad P. Wagner: Christensen Associates
Christopher W. Backley: U.S. Postal Service Office of the Inspector General
Charles L. Crum: U.S. Postal Service Office of the Inspector General
Bryant Switzky: U.S. Postal Service Office of the Inspector General

A chapter in Postal and Delivery Innovation in the Digital Economy, 2015, pp 43-54 from Springer

Abstract: Abstract 3D printing refers to a set of technologies that builds physical objects from virtual representations. While approaches vary, these technologies process a digital model of an object into horizontal slices, like a loaf of bread standing on end. A 3D printer then iteratively prints each (nearly) two-dimensional slice, layer-by-layer, from the bottom up. By allowing physical objects to be created from virtual representations on demand, 3D printing could disrupt supply chains, warehousing, manufacturing, and the myriad industries that rely on them. These prognostications, however, assume technological advances and consumer acceptance not yet realized. It is not clear which businesses will have the problems and which will have the opportunities. The United States Postal Service® (USPS) stands to benefit from a major 3D disruption. The outcome for USPS depends upon the advancement of the technology, its adoption by consumers, and the strategies it takes to position itself to capture benefit or avoid injury. This paper provides a framework for considering potential outcomes for USPS should a 3D printing “revolution” occur.

Keywords: Supply Chain; Retail Sale; Fiscal Year; Virtual Representation; Package Volume (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

There are no downloads for this item, see the EconPapers FAQ for hints about obtaining it.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:topchp:978-3-319-12874-0_4

Ordering information: This item can be ordered from
http://www.springer.com/9783319128740

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-12874-0_4

Access Statistics for this chapter

More chapters in Topics in Regulatory Economics and Policy from Springer
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().