Visagio bolsters 3D printing offering with DiManEx partnership

Consulting firm Visagio has agreed a partnership with DiManEx, a Dutch company that uses 3D printing technology to enhance supply chain management.

DiManEx’s offering enables supply chain professionals to shift parts of their production from a mass-production approach (often in the far East with longer lead times) to a closer to the end user and on-demand approach, leveraging 3D printing technology.

The firm’s Supply Chain Inspector solution helps companies identify which right parts are in-scope for such a shift. Once the parts have been selected, DiManEx’s platform helps companies with finding the right additive manufacturing partner and executing the process end-to-end, while maintaining all kinds of important manufacturing and logistical requirements such as preferred order quantities, lead times and technical quality. 

Since founding in 2015, DiManEx has seen growing demand for its solution, as companies navigate mounting supply chain pressures including the need to speed up innovation (3D printing can improve first series production), reduce costs (3D printing can lower manufacturing costs and total cost of ownership, in particular for long tail / end of life production) and customise production (3D printing enables production closer to the assembly location and with lower minimum quantities).

These and more key benefits of 3D printing are seeing demand for the technology boom worldwide. Currently assessed to be around $11 billion, the market is expected to grow at a CAGR of over 20% to reach $35 billion by 2024, as the technology is being adopted by a growing number of industrials in sectors such as automotive, medical, aerospace, printed electronics, and consumer goods.

To enhance their offerings, DiManEx and Visagio have now teamed up. Visagio is a global consulting firm specialised in supply chain, operating from offices in London, Moscow, Perth, Sydney, São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. The consultancy, recently named one of Europe’s leading supply chain consulting firms, helps companies across sectors with supply chain strategy and optimisation.

“Together, Visagio and DiManEx form a powerful combination. DiManEx provides analytics of vast amounts of technical and supply chain data, engineering services and a network of additive manufacturing partners under one roof. This complements Visagio’s capabilities in supply chain, inventory optimisation and data management,” said Len Pannett, Managing Partner EMEA at Visagio, of the partnership.

The alliance will bring together skills in supply chain, inventory and MRO spare parts management, added Pannett, which will enable joint clients to “reduce costs in their supply chains, improve efficiencies and quickly increase service levels.”

While the partnership has a long term focus, the partners expect the joining of forces to be particularly relevant in the current environment. In light of the global demand- and supply-side disruption from Covid-19, companies of all sizes are scrambling to minimise supply chain disruption, slash costs and build in flexibility, while in parallel eyeing ways to remodel their supply chain in anticipation of the ‘new normal’.

“Companies were already increasingly looking for ways to optimise their supply chains and mitigate risks,” said Tibor van Melsem Kocsis, founder and CEO of DiManEx, adding that this development is now being exacerbated by the pandemic and geo-political tensions. “The capabilities of this partnership are instrumental in resolving many of the materials issues being faced.”