Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
A case for 3D printing - Promotional Products
Promotional products include a wide range of things that a company can put its logo on
and give away to existing or potential customers as a way of marketing the company and
its products or services. Only in the US the promo products market is valued at 18-20 bil-
lion USD. Typical promo products include mugs, pens, badges, t-shirts, USB-sticks, water
bottles, mouse pads, key rings etc., but it could potentially be anything as long as it fills
the purpose of marketing a company's products or services. The last few decades the supply
chain for promotional products has mainly worked like this: products are mass produced at
low cost in China - the products are shipped to USA and Europe - small, medium-sized and
large promotional product companies print logos on the products and sell them to the end
customer.
Sometimes customers just want to buy a very small quantity of the promotional product,
maybe 100s or even less. This works as long as the product comes from the stock of mass
produced predesigned merchandise. The problem appears when customers want to have low
quantities of a custom designed product. Costs for making molds, the cost of using ma-
chinery at the factory and buying raw material restrict the feasibility of such projects. The
lead times for production in China might also be a minus from the customer's perspective.
3D printing on the other hand opens up a multiverse of possibilities in the promo products
field. Design freedom, customization and small orders are very important in the promotional
products market, and 3D printing will improve these factors substantially. Cheap knick-
knacks in large quantities and most of the textiles will still be produced as before, but 3D
printing could be a viable alternative for most other promotional products.
In the long run 3D printing will change this industry fundamentally. The supply will no
longer be bound by the economy of scale principle, and if a customer wants 8 pieces of an
item they can get it (as long as it can be 3D printed). A 3D printed gift means that the promo-
tional products company will never be out of stock and that there will be no surplus stock of
unsold goods. It will be possible to do things that have not been done before. For example:
instead of just putting a logo on the giveaway you could also put the name of the receiver on
the gift. Print-on-demand may give the receiver an option of choosing from 100s of different
variations of a gift. 2D printed logos can be replaced by 3D protruding logos.
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