Supply chain management:

potential locations for setting up a 3D printing service

Abstract

The Fourth Industrial Revolution brought with it the integration of virtual and real-world production. One of the technologies that best illustrates this scenario is additive manufacturing, which enables the production of parts by printing, from a virtual project. This technology has gained visibility in the Brazilian scenario. Thus, this study aims to suggest potential locations for a venture that provides 3D printing services. To assist in this process, Chopra and Meindl propose a general framework composed of four phases to create a physical network project for a supply chain. Considering that a strategic planning of the enterprise covers all the issues of the first two phases of the aforementioned framework, this work specifically analyzes the issues that support decisions for the third phase of the framework The city chosen as a case was Goiânia/GO, a place where tax incentives and the available infrastructure position the municipality as an attractive city for entrepreneurship. Empirical research was conducted, analyzing the local infrastructure for installation of a factory/store, specialized in 3D printing using the SLS technology. Thus, promising locations were selected to host the new venture, seeking to maximize its chances of success. Results indicated 16 potential locations, which can be input to a mathematical programming problem to decide the best location for a future facility installation.