Additive manufacturing innovations: Stakeholders’ influence in enhancing sustainability and responsibility

Abstract

Additive manufacturing (AM) is receiving increasing attention in the manufacturing industry as a collection of novel advanced production technologies, product innovations and innovative supply chains and processes. Companies implementing AM are active in innovation, but successful innovation requires support from other companies in the supply chain and from stakeholders outside of the supply chain. This exploratory study seeks to better understand the mechanism behind stakeholders’ involvement in AM innovation activities. The focus is on how stakeholders’ involvement enhances the success, sustainability and responsibility of AM innovations. The findings reveal who the stakeholders are and how they influence the innovation processes of companies utilising AM in their manufacturing processes. The study contributes to the field of innovation management in the context of AM by detailing the network complexity in AM innovations and guiding AM companies towards the stakeholders who can improve the success, sustainability and responsibility of AM innovations.