AM serial production is taking off according to new study by EY

The audit firm EY has just published its second report, Global 3D Printing Report 2019, dedicated to additive manufacturing, following a first edition published in 2016. As expected, the market has evolved considerably in 3 years, particularly in terms of usage. According to EY’s report, today it’s 65% of the companies surveyed that claim to have used 3D printing, compared to only 24% in 2016. Four out of ten companies have even invested in their own solutions internally, taking advantage of its many benefits. The report also shows a clear shift in the geographical breakdown of the market. Asia, particularly South Korea and China, is gaining market share, against countries such as Germany or the United States.

The Global 3D Printing Report 2019 was based on the responses of 900 participants working in 726 companies around the world. 13 countries are represented in this study, mainly from the US, Europe and Asia, and from 9 different sectors of activity. In the United States it’s 219 companies that were surveyed for example.

As you will be able to see below, South Korea and China lead the way in terms of adoption of the technology, which was not the case in 2016. As the report points out, this could reflect on their more dynamic economic development in recent years, which also extends to the AM market. Another possibility is that they have recognized the potential in using emerging technologies to build a new competitive advantage, in place of their previous dependence on cost leadership.