To provide parts locally within a shorter time and at a lower cost compared to external shipping
“Covid-19” increases reliance on 3D printing and “automation”
The pandemic has changed the policy orientations of company bosses related to 3D printing.
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Executives in the local industrial and research sectors confirmed that the changes imposed by the Corona Virus (Covid 19) pandemic were reflected in the local industrial sector, which has become more dependent on 3D printing services and automation systems.
They explained to "Emirates Today", on the sidelines of participating in the exhibition accompanying the works of the "World Summit for Industry and Manufacturing", which ended its work at the Dubai Exhibition Center, that the pandemic had left multiple effects on the industrial sectors, most notably raising awareness of 3D printing services, and the growth of 3D printing services. The demand for it, after supply chain disruptions, the delay in the arrival of shipments of spare parts used in the industry, and the high cost of shipping.
Multiple effects
And a manufacturing solutions expert at 3D Middle East, Abdel Karim Sayed, said that the “Covid 19” pandemic had multiple effects on the local industry sector, most notably the high demand for 3D printing services, as it contributed to increasing companies’ awareness of these technologies, and the adoption of 3D printing services. them in greater proportions.
He explained that the pandemic has produced variables related to the difficulties of logistics services from multiple countries, whether delays in the arrival of shipments, or a decrease in production in a number of international companies that supply spare parts and raw materials used in several industrial fields, or the high costs of shipping in large proportions.
He stressed that all these factors contributed to the transformation of a large number of local industrial companies to 3D printing services in the local market, with the provision of parts locally within a shorter time, and at a lower cost compared to shipping and external supply.
The growth of dependence on 3D printing services in the local industry sectors during 2020 and 2021 is estimated to exceed 100% compared to the period preceding the emergence of the pandemic.
He pointed out that 3D printing was previously suffering from poor awareness of it, but the pandemic changed that, especially in the medical fields and the vehicle industry.
automation services
In turn, the director of local sales and distribution at the "Al-Jameel Food Industries" company, Hossam Abdullatif, said that the two years of the pandemic have repercussions and positive changes on the industrial sectors, most notably resorting more to automation services and hybrid work systems.
He added that the pandemic changed the work mechanisms in local factories in varying proportions, whether with the application of services related to automation in storage, transportation, and handling operations, or even related to the adoption of new plans by corporate administrations that depend on the further expansion of automation plans.
Notable transformations
For his part, the executive sales official at the “Al-Baraka Dates Factory”, Habib Ahmed, said that a large number of local factories, under the pressures of the effects of “Corona”, turned to rely more on 3D printing services, with the cost being lower compared to shipping and supply prices. From abroad, which has witnessed significant increases in recent periods.
He added that there are noticeable shifts in the local industry sector, supported by the changes imposed by the pandemic in work systems, which have expanded in “automation” whether in transportation, storage and handling processes, or even in production systems, following the effects that came with the pandemic, and having to Reducing dependence on workers in large numbers at production sites, and the necessity of some to close periods, or to apply requirements related to physical spacing, due to safety requirements in the face of the spread of the “Corona” virus.
Policy plans
The CEO of the "Sharjah Research, Technology and Innovation Complex", Hussain Al Mahmoudi, considered that the local industry sector after the "Covid 19" pandemic witnessed several changes, compared to the periods before it.
He said that the pandemic has changed the plans and policy directions on which the heads of companies depend, as it has become remarkable to rely more on 3D printing services, which have become popular during the peak periods of the pandemic, with the difficulty of using external supply, in addition to the growth of reliance on technical solutions in Managing factory business, whether in relation to management operations for human resources or production lines, handling, transportation and storage.
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