Production scale-up in a 3D manufacturing company and optimization of the processes

This dissertation will deal with the economical sustainability of a business and in particular the means through which it would be possible to replicate the business model and grow revenues. In one word, the concept is the one of “Scalability”, term that entails that the pillars of the strategical decisions of the enterprise are strong and capable to be slightly modified to be applied to new markets, adapted to new customers while preserving (and possibly growing) profits. The case study to which these concepts are applied is COBOD International A/S, Danish start-up based in Copenhagen, that is quickly transitioning to a scaleup. As it will be shown later, the process is by no means immediate nor trivial and the failure to reach the goal of increasing production could compromise the very future of the firm despite the fact that the market in which it operates, 3D manufacturing of printers, is experiencing a strong request from customers all over the world and there are very few competitors. Since dealing with relatively new concepts, this analysis will first of all start with a state of the art in the world of Additive Manufacturing for constructions and then provide the main theoretical concepts regarding the scalability. In this regard, the most important books used are: “Mastering the Rockefeller habits: what you must do to increase the value of your growing firm” and “Scaling up” both texts by Verne Harnish. Then, these ideas will be applied on the case study to assess the economical and strategical feasibility of the business model.