Almost all major automotive manufacturers, including Volkswagen Autoeuropa, have documented the benefits that 3D printing brings to their design and production processes, significantly reducing time and cost. To demonstrate the potential financial impact of 3D printing's efficiency, Ultimaker recently researched the value of every minute in the automotive industry; initial findings were striking: U.S. automotive manufacturing costs were $460,706 per minute or $1,110,663,840 per week.
Replicating the same formula and evaluating similar public statistics, Ultimaker found that U.S. manufacturing costs were $4,258,341 per minute, while revenue was $4,280,821; deducting manufacturing costs alone, the profit per minute was only $22,480, not including other expenses. Such a meager profit margin shows that even seemingly small efficiencies, such as 3D printing improving rapid prototyping models, can have a significant impact on a company's profitability.
Many well-known manufacturers have already benefited from 3D printing, for example: Jabil, one of the world's largest manufacturing suppliers, has been using 3D printers at its Auburn Hills facility in Detroit, reducing production process time by 80% and mold costs by 30%.
3D printed flip-up license plate.
Jabil engineers realized early on that it took three weeks for the machine shop to produce a tool—and up to two months for more complex parts; this hindered their ability to innovate customized products in a timely manner. To better serve healthcare and industrial customers, they had to use 3D printing to accelerate production and reduce costs. As professional 3D printers become a pillar of the industry, these rates will be boosted by cost and time savings and overall efficiency improvements.
The complete statistics are as follows: These average figures are based on public data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), including the number of employees in U.S. manufacturing, the number of workers in manufacturing jobs, and the average wages for these positions; in addition, the overall economic data for manufacturing is also included in the calculation.
Manufacturing Cost (Employees/Wages aggregated) (USD)
．Weekly - 43,042,002,652
．Daily - 6,132,011,337
．Hourly - 255,500,472
．Per Minute - 4,258,341
Manufacturing Revenue (Employees/Wages aggregated) (USD)
．Weekly - 43,469,230,769
．Daily - 6,164,383,562
．Hourly - 256,849,315
．Per Minute - 4,280,822
Revenue Profit (Employees/Wages aggregated) (USD)
．Weekly - 227,228,117
．Daily - 32,372,225
．Hourly - 1,348,843
．Per Minute - 22,480
Are you also surprised by the manufacturing cost per minute? If you are interested in 3D printing content, you can refer to our other articles; or if you want to understand how the machines work directly, you are welcome to contact us. If you have a need for prototype or sample printing, we also provide high-quality printing services. We will continue to provide new technology or application information related to 3D printing. Please follow our latest news on FB.