The Future Is Faster Than You Think: How Converging Technologies Are Transforming Business, Industries, and Our Lives (Exponential Technology Series)

by Peter H. Diamandis

Over the next ten years, 3-D printing will reshape retail in four key ways: The End of the Supply Chain: With 3-D printing, retailers can now purchase raw materials and print inventory themselves, either at warehouses or in the retail outlet. This means the end of suppliers, manufacturers, and distributors. The End of Waste: Okay, maybe not the complete end of waste, but with consumers preferring eco-friendly products and retailers looking to minimize materials cost, the exactitude of 3-D printing is a ready-made solution. The End of the Spare Parts Market: If you’re a farmer in Iowa and your tractor breaks during harvest time, waiting a few days for a spare part could jeopardize the entire season. A 3-D printer solves this problem. And it’ll solve the same problem for everything from coffeemakers to skateboard wheels. This doesn’t just mean an end to the spare parts business, it also means a new level of longevity for the products we purchase. The Rise of User-Designed Products: Sure, there will always be some version of Apple in the market—an uber design-centric company pushing out products so slick they always find a buyer. Yet, for everything from fashion to furniture, customer-designed will replace designer-designed as standard operating procedure.