Upskilling: MadeInAdd's Value Proposition Through Its Services

Andrea Boscolo, Chief Product Officer at the Turin-based company, explains the benefits of entrusting 3D printing services to a company experienced in Additive Manufacturing and advanced complementary technologies. This includes product training and development, and even an e-learning Academy.

Upskilling is one of MadeInAdd's value propositions, aimed at informing and updating clients on the advantages of adopting advanced design and production techniques (including 3D printing) for their products, without the clients having to internalize specific skills. Updating internal competencies and resources can be a lengthy and costly process in a field where updates are almost daily. It is much more convenient to rely on a proxy, such as MadeInAdd, which offers competent advice on the best solutions in additive manufacturing and possible product improvements starting from the design phase. 

Upskilling and Reskilling

First, let's clarify the terminology: "We talk about Upskilling when our clients are familiar with the technologies and design techniques and seek an update to achieve higher functional and productive goals. Conversely, when we meet new clients who still think in terms of conventional design and technology, we do Reskilling," explains Boscolo, who joined MadeInAdd with extensive automotive expertise. He now manages it as one of the many sectors from which MadeInAdd receives “consultation requests, which is our primary form of contact and crucial, so we have developed a precise process. We start with some introductory meetings, often supported by a workshop, on the technical and technological framework of 3D printing and the common misconceptions about it. It's necessary to understand how to design or redesign components with a new perspective, regardless of the market they belong to. Then, we show case studies of solutions applied in various markets, along with data that demonstrates the technical and economic benefits, especially in terms of cost and time, which is always a crucial variable for companies and can be significantly improved with Additive Manufacturing."

Therefore, a key point for MadeInAdd is to make clients understand how their companies' work can genuinely improve in terms of production flexibility: in process development, for example, and in the time to market of products. To convey this awareness, an Academy will launch in June 2024, developing dedicated e-learning that allows clients to easily obtain a technical-scientific certification in Additive Manufacturing and facilitates training on technological, design, application, and business fundamentals.

Only when the "ground is ready" and the various points have been clarified does the actual technical analysis phase begin, in cooperation with the client, to understand which of their products can be transformed thanks to the new possibilities offered. Technical consultants play a key role here because they accompany the exercise of the new additive mindset acquired. Then, the execution phase begins: "Here the client can decide to do co-design or stop with Reskilling and Upskilling, entrusting us entirely with the redesign, also due to a previously discussed convenience. It is not advantageous for the company to internalize the necessary resources or build an ad hoc supply chain, while MadeInAdd already has the most up-to-date services, consultants, and suppliers: a highly specialized project manager immediately available with product engineering expertise and a certified production ready for immediate use."

A Virtuous Circle of Growth

The benefit of such a partner becomes increasingly evident because Upskilling and Reskilling are costly in terms of time and dedicated resources, and the market moves ever faster. MadeInAdd can face and meet this challenge because it significantly accelerates the subsequent process: the moment when solutions for different needs are identified. The client only needs to bring their idea - project, drawing, or concrete object - and MadeInAdd guides them to a first solution, which can also be generated and used in self-service. The algorithms dedicated to finding solutions are not easily developed: they are the result of years of experience, cost studies, and the development of an intelligent platform. Additionally, there is a team of constantly updated engineers who can go even deeper and a wide portfolio of 3D printing technologies, with related materials applicable across products and markets.

The client's entry point is usually the request for a prototype to understand how to leverage additive technology and related design techniques: "When we have the prototype in hand, demonstrating that our services work for that client's product, the next step is to show how that change can scale from prototype to series production: the first Upskilling includes production certification and component validation," explains Boscolo. "Then there's further Upskilling when working on the component redesign, as there should have been a shift from subtractive to additive mindset, even relying on complex optimization software that can largely replace manual work. Thanks to algorithms," continues the Chief Product Officer, "we can even imagine more complex shapes, but clearly, this requires extensive preparation and continuous updates that a company like ours can provide because constantly updated software continues to integrate possibilities, achieving organic shapes and complex lattices that the human mind has yet to imagine."

MadeInAdd has the software and specialists to guide any need towards additive techniques. With co-development, clients see the results, become familiar with the novelty, move on to redesign other parts, and unlock further production opportunities, even reaching series volumes and exploiting a production agility unachievable with subtractive technologies. The next step is the cross-application of skills: clients come from many different markets or work on different types of products, so additive manufacturing offers them even more opportunities.

Continuous Training

MadeInAdd manages its smart supply chain in the best way possible because it continuously Upskills its resources. The initial group of engineers and developers tasked with starting the machine is constantly joined by young resources from academia. This generates significant cross-pollination in both directions: corporate skills blend with updated competencies in design techniques, technologies, and software, while young professionals learn the correct methodology from those who already know the dynamics of complex project management. There is also an internal continuous education and training plan and an exchange with partners and suppliers that occurs through corporate tools. This digital interaction speeds up the data collection and analysis process, and the growth of skills: the more data available through exchanges, the better the statistics on which techniques and strategies are developed, making the contribution of a specialized company much more effective and efficient, often more so than an internalized activity