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Every 3D printing service provider wants their business to run like a Swiss watch. The time from a request to order is minutes, the orders are all sorted through and prioritised easily, machines utilized to full capacity, parts produced and delivered on time, leaving customers satisfied.<\/strong><\/p>\n However, for many 3D printing service providers achieving this level of coordination remains a juggling act.<\/p>\n In this article, we attempt to uncover the main challenges service providers face when running a 3D printing business and what solutions are available to help you succeed in the dynamic and ever-evolving 3D printing services market.<\/p>\n 1. Attracting new leads and converting them into customers<\/strong><\/b><\/p>\n Acquiring new customers and securing repeat business is critical, yet also an ongoing challenge for many 3D printing service bureaus.<\/p>\n For an early-stage business, the ability to convert customers quickly may well be a matter of life and death (not to mention making sure you do so at a cost of acquisition that is lower than the revenues that are produced by the effort).<\/p>\n There\u2019s been no better time for service providers to consider ways how they can mitigate the risks and reach more customers with the help of the technology.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n 2. Balancing pricing and operational costs<\/strong><\/b><\/p>\n Running a successful service bureau requires a delicate balance between providing services at a competitive price and ensuring profits are made and operational costs covered.<\/p>\n However, for some companies, their pricing strategy consists of copying those offered by their competitors or is simply focused on under-cutting others.<\/p>\n Both these approaches, without a solid understanding of what prices should be charged for your services, can lead to severe financial problems. At worst it could mean the difference between making a profit or a loss. 3. Predicting capacity\u00a0<\/strong><\/b><\/p>\n With the current uncertainty, it\u2019s difficult to predict future demand and plan capacity.<\/p>\n However, 3D printing businesses must understand their capacity to be able to plan your production efficiency and scale it, as it grows.<\/p>\n Too often, however, a lack of visibility into your capacity can lead your business to overextend its operational capacities, inevitably putting you in a situation where some customers will not receive on-time deliveries.<\/b><\/p>\n 4. Providing better customer service<\/strong><\/b><\/p>\n With manufacturing businesses focusing on delivery and quality of products to maximize revenue and profit, customer service often falls by the wayside.<\/p>\n Needless to say, customers have higher expectations these days. They value responsiveness, real-time feedback and speed.<\/p>\n However, you\u2019ve been struggling to deliver on these expectations. You\u2019ve probably been in a situation when you got flooded by requests and couldn\u2019t quote requests faster, or couldn\u2019t provide customers with timely status updates.<\/p>\n How you handle your customers is crucial to your business\u2019s success. Handle them poorly, and they bolt to a competitor, slashing revenues. 5. Staying competitive<\/strong><\/b><\/p>\n In 2021, the 3D printing service bureau market is arguably more competitive than ever.<\/p>\n On one hand, many machine OEMs now offer production services alongside selling their machines.<\/p>\n On the other hand, the relatively low cost of professional desktop 3D printers has led to a rise in the number of new service bureaus being founded.<\/p>\n Online manufacturing platforms, based on a Manufacturing-As-A-Service model, are also helping to shape the services landscape by offering companies access to a global network of suppliers, on-demand.<\/p>\n There is a clear opportunity for 3D printing service providers to differentiate themselves from competitors, for example by leveraging their unique expertise.<\/p>\n 6. You\u2019re spending a lot of time pricing parts and verifying that they are suitable for printing<\/strong><\/b><\/p>\n The process of manually pricing parts is long, cumbersome and inefficient. Your team also often has to ensure their files are printable. If there is an issue, they need to repair the files, using a separate software tool.<\/p>\n Further adding to this is the need for a constant exchange of emails with customers to inform or educate them on the options and collect all the necessary data needed for successful printing.<\/p>\n As a result, it can take several hours a day to just calculate part costs, repair files and communicate this information to customers. Your staff could be using this time much more efficiently, for example on more value-generating tasks like improving operations.<\/p>\n 7. Current processes lead to errors and re-work<\/strong><\/b><\/p>\n How much does a mistake in data collection cost your business?<\/p>\n Collecting the information about the order manually is extremely prone to errors. This is particularly true for service bureaus that use a combination of systems, such as CRM and accounting systems, spreadsheets and other tools to coordinate activities.<\/p>\n Too often this results in disconnected systems, with staff having to manually input the same information multiple times into multiple systems.<\/p>\n If you are maintaining multiple databases that separately gather data \u2013 one for production, for example, and one for ordering and billing \u2013 you are exposing your business to risk as you struggle to align data across systems.<\/b><\/p>\n 8. A lack of visibility and real-time access to data\u00a0<\/strong><\/b><\/p>\n Having insight into real-time data is crucial for your company\u2019s administration or management.<\/p>\n However, your team struggles to notice any gaps or missed opportunities, since important information can easily become lost in the noise of hundreds of emails, spreadsheets and siloed systems.<\/p>\n Most likely, it\u2019s also difficult to quickly provide customers with updates on their order status, because spreadsheets can\u2019t provide real-time information on where the order is in the workflow.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n 9. Ensuring quality\u00a0<\/strong><\/b><\/p>\n 3D printing remains an emerging industry, and challenges relating to quality processes and standardization are industry-wide.<\/p>\n However, achieving the right certification for 3D-printed parts remains a challenge for service bureaus today, particularly when it comes to highly-regulated industries like medical, aerospace and defense.<\/p>\n Adding to the challenge is the fact that regulations and standards vary across industries. Attaining ISO 13485 certification, for example, will almost certainly be a must for service providers manufacturing medical devices.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n 10. Lack of accountability within the team<\/strong><\/b><\/p>\n The day-to-day operations of any business, small or large, are driven by tasks. Managing these tasks effectively is an arduous yet fundamental process.<\/p>\n When you have several orders on your plate to complete in the upcoming days, it\u2019s key to be able to assess the requirements and urgency of those projects.<\/p>\n However, without syncing between team members, prioritization of important tasks, and constant feedback, accountability is hard to foster.<\/p>\n Most of these challenges we covered are clear signs that your service provider business can benefit from automation.<\/p>\n Automating manual tasks and processes, as well as helping you coordinate tasks between people and synchronize data between systems, is the capability of 3D printing manufacturing execution and workflow automation software.<\/p>\n Manufacturing Execution System (MES) and workflow automation software have been specifically developed to overcome the challenges in 3D printing workflow management to bring the benefits of streamlined, coordinated and more efficient 3D printing operations.<\/p>\n MES software, built upon unique requirements of 3D printing and additive manufacturing technology, supports the management, monitoring and automation of all real-time processes.<\/p>\n This can include, but isn\u2019t limited to, automating cost calculations, standardizing requests, conducting printability analyses and scheduling production.<\/p>\n In a section below, we take a look at the different solutions MES workflow automation provides to solve key challenges in managing 3D printing operations.<\/p>\n One way to use workflow software is by integrating an online quotation and ordering portal into your website to allow customers to complete the ordering process by themselves. Such a platform uses your pricing formulae and can also be customized to your brand (think logos, colours, technologies, materials etc.)<\/p>\n A web quotation platform allows customers to receive quotes instantly and without the need to send emails and make calls.<\/p>\n It also helps them to place orders at any time (even outside of your working hours) and complete the buying process intuitively and in a matter of minutes, in the vast majority of cases.<\/p>\n Importantly, you can also track customers who drop off in the RFQ process with a tool that tracks portal activity and re-engage them, ultimately increasing conversion.<\/p>\n Furthermore, implementing an instant quotation platform isn\u2019t only beneficial for your customers \u2013 it\u2019s also one of the best things you can do for your team. Being able to automate important yet manual tasks, such as price calculations, allows your team to focus on activities that bring in more revenue.<\/p>\n<\/span>The 10 key challenges for 3D printing service providers<\/strong><\/h2>\n
<\/span>Business challenges<\/h2>\n
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\n<\/b><\/p>\n<\/span>Operational challenges<\/h3>\n
<\/span>Solving the 3D printing business challenges<\/strong><\/h2>\n
<\/span>What is MES\/workflow automation software?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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How can MES workflow solutions help you run a 3D printing business more efficiently?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
1. Provide instant quotes to your customers\u00a0<\/strong><\/b><\/h3>\n
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