Welcome to this blog!
Welcome to this blog about 4D printing technology. This blog is about the impact of 4D printing on IKEA. This blog explains the background of 4D printing and explains what this could mean for us in the future. This can be found on the Technology page.
Furthermore, the technology has been placed in the context of IKEA. It has been determined what influence this has on IKEA's strategy and business processes. The benefits and costs have also been weighed against each other in the business case. This information can be found on the IKEA page.
The subject of this blog came about through our interest in 3D and 4D printing. These technologies really appeal to us. We were thinking about technologies where 3D printing was interesting. After some resources we found out the technology 4D printing. We were interested because this was something we didn't know existed and was very special to see, especially in videos. Then we thought of all the possible product solutions that could be made with this and we thought that this could change a lot of products and markets. We want to find out how the production could be scaled to a mass production for example. Therefore we need to find out what the material exactly is made of and how it could be used.
First we all dived into the technology to find out exactly what it entails. After this research, we investigated what influence this could have on IKEA. We looked at the strategy, all processes within IKEA and all the pros and cons that come with this. We have also outlined what this could mean in the short- and long term. This assumes that the technology is sufficiently developed to be implemented, on the advice of Mr. de Wit.
We approached several people within IKEA to obtain additional information and to check whether our thoughts correspond with their insights. Unfortunately, the R&D department did not have time to sit down with us within this short period of five days. We were able to speak to someone from the warehouse and customer service.
Enjoy reading!
Jeske, Kane, Jasper and Lisa
p.s. More information
about us can be found under authors.
More information about Technology 4D-printing:
Expected future developments - Short term
Expected future developments - Long term
More information about IKEA context:
Technology 4D-printing at Ikea