Digital Manufacture: New Business Models and New Opportunities for Entrepreneurs
The manufacturing sector has become increasingly digital over the last few years. Currently, devices such as sensors, and concepts such as process automation, digital data and product representation are common in factories. However, these changes are aimed at streamlining and improving existing processes and have not given rise to a new manufacturing model.
We are now beginning to see movements in the field of manufacturing which suggest that in the future many of the trends and patterns that have taken place in the digital and software worlds may be reflected in the industrial world. The reason for this change lies in the existence of a large number of technological trends (cloud computing, low cost manufacturing technologies, custom electronics, the Internet of Things, new robotic models, etc.) and social tendencies (open hardware, crowdfunding) the convergence of which could lead to a profound change in the production model.