How Will Autonomous Vehicles (AV) Impact Custom Part Manufacturers?
Jay Jacobs
Co-Founder Paperless Parts | Manufacturing Technology Expert | Applied Biohacker and Longevity Enthusiast | Competitive Sprinter
This article is a continuation of thoughts from A360. How will autonomous vehicles (AV) impact Custom Part Manufacturers? By autonomous I mean both land and air-based driverless vehicles that can transport people and/ or cargo. The cargo aspect is probably most relevant to custom part manufacturers.
One of the speakers was the head of Uber Elevate, Uber flying vehicles. They will soon be launching pilot programs in several US cities. Other companies in this space include all the leading aerospace manufacturers AND car companies. It is not a matter of “IF” but “WHEN”. One attendee said today his Tesla operates 85% to 90% in autopilot mode; he gets annoyed now when he has to take the wheel and actually drive.
I think AVs will speed up custom part manufacturing. Imagine if material can be consistently and reliably delivered the same day? Material suppliers could have many local mini-warehouses supported by a core central warehouse. It works cost-wise because labor for delivery is removed. How about tooling? Same concept. As custom manufacturing becomes more automated with material, tooling and other supply buys executed at the time of order entry (which will also be automated), there will be an opportunity for nimble suppliers to job shops. How about same day finishing? Your shop loads parts into AV; the finisher has them in 15 minutes. Later that day their AV returns them.
How else can faster and cheaper transportation impact Custom Part Manufacturers?
Please share your ideas! The future is happening faster than you think!
-Jay Jacobs
Connect with me on LinkedIn to stay up-to-date with future posts:https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/jacobsjay/
Jay Jacobs was the founder and CEO of RAPID, a CNC machining and sheet metal shop that grew to $50M in sales and was sold to Proto Labs, Inc. (PRLB) in 2017 for $120M. Today, Jay is a champion for American manufacturing and is working through Paperless Parts to enable job shop owners to compete in today’s increasingly digital and web-based business world.
Accelerating product development
5 年Jay, interesting insight on autonomous vehicles. On the supply side, it seems like pairing autonomy on the roads with autonomous ordering and material handling systems would be another big win for custom manufacturing. ?