The nature of manufacturing has changed considerably in recent decades. Once upon a time, factories or assembly plants did most of their own work in-house, collecting all the resources and equipment necessary to transform raw materials into finished products.
Today, manufacturing is often done a bit differently. Through distributed manufacturing, resources and processes are now decentralized. In other words, producing a product now requires the involvement of multiple locations and suppliers, rather than one primary hub. To put it differently, a distributed manufacturing network disperses components and supplies to different, specialized vendors, each of which handles a specific part of the production process.
Choosing a distributed manufacturing network can provide a number of benefits to your business. In this post, we’ll explore just a few of them.
The Benefits of Distributed Manufacturing
1) Increased speed.
When you work with a distributed manufacturing platform, like the one we champion here at Gooten, it means that as new orders come in, the workload is intelligently allocated in order to provide short lead times and to cut out unnecessary production steps. In other words, a distributed manufacturing network of specialized vendors can help your business be nimbler, and better equipped to fulfill orders promptly and efficiently.
2) Risk mitigation.
Another reason to choose a distributed manufacturing network is that it reduces your risk. Your products are made on spec and delivered on time, reducing the chances of nonconforming parts. Additionally, you’re not as affected by localized disruptions. If one specialty vendor experiences a labor issue or a natural disaster, the workload can simply be allocated to other partners, keeping your order fulfillments on track.
3) Scalability.
Still another reason to consider using a distributed manufacturing network is that, when you have access to a wide array of vendors and suppliers, you can very easily scale up production in order to meet rising demand. At the same time, you can scale down as needed, responding to seasonal ebb and flow within your industry. The distributed manufacturing model allows you to avoid carrying a lot of excess inventory, and also to capitalize on new market opportunities when they arise.
4) Cost reduction.
The distributed manufacturing model can also help your business cut costs. That’s because you’ll enjoy prompt feedback, efficient communication, and streamlined workflows, all of which allow you to identify potential problems early and to intervene sooner rather than later. This spares you the expense of scrapping products or making costly design changes down the road.
5) International expansion.
When you have all your production and distribution centralized, it makes it more costly and complicated to package and ship products abroad. In other words, centralized production is a major impediment to international expansion. But if you want to expand your business into different countries or territories, working with a distributed manufacturing network can be a boon.
6) Product expansion.
Similarly, a centralized manufacturing center requires significant upgrades or revisions any time you want to expand your product line. Working with a broader network enables you to experiment with new products fairly efficiently. That’s what helps print on demand companies to play around with diverse options like mugs, shirts, wall prints, and so on.
Working with a Distributed Manufacturing Network
The bottom line: Centralized manufacturing is in decline, and it’s not hard to understand why. Simply put, a distributed manufacturing network provides businesses with greater options to expand, diversify, mitigate risk, and please their customers.
Gooten provides access to an expansive network of specialized vendors, providing nimble options for your print on demand business to fill, package, ship, and track orders. We’re thrilled to work with print on demand companies to achieve their goals, whether that’s cutting costs, reducing administrative burdens, branching out into new products, or expanding into new markets.
If you’re ready to learn more about distributed manufacturing options, reach out to Gooten at your convenience.
