HP Innovation Journal Issue 11: Winter 2018 | Page 59

HP 3D: USHERING IN
THE FOURTH INDUSTRIAL
REVOLUTION
Saila Balasubramanian, Marketing Planning
and Operations Manager, HP
HP has always been synonymous with printing as well as with
reimagining the possible, so it is no surprise that the company
is turning the manufacturing world on its head with 3D printing.
This technology has incredible potential to redefine manufactur-
ing and create products that can improve countless lives.
With 3D printing, manufacturers can greatly reduce production
costs and time to create anything from a screw to a replicated
human organ. Items that once seemed prohibitively expensive
or just plain impossible can now become reality, and be offered
at reasonable cost to the people who really need them. It’s hard
to see any downside to 3D printing, which already has so many
humanitarian applications, but there will be an impact to suppli-
ers. As with any disruptive technology, there is often a broader
implication or impact than was originally intended. In this case,
cheaper, more bountiful manufacturing can come at the price
of companies who must close their doors because they cannot
compete on cost, artisans whose craft can be easily replicated by
anyone with access to a computer and printer, and laborers whose
hourly cost exceeds that of new software and equipment.
Increased access to printers and design
software has expanded the use of 3D
printing from technical applications
to more artistic and artisanal arenas,
allowing for mass customization rather
than just commoditization.
The current age of rapid innovation and growth, commonly
referred to as the Fourth Industrial Revolution, in many ways re-
sembles previous industrial revolutions—with new technologies
bringing about improvements in efficiency and general quality of
life, from the urbanization of the first revolution, to the electri-
fication and mass production of the second—and finally to the
digitalization of the third. It is hard to deny the positive impact
technological innovation has had.
EARLY CAREER TALENTS INNOVATION
57