Anyone who decides to spend a few bricks on bee school will quickly become acquainted with the Harvard Business School (HBS) Case Method. It starts with a “case study,” a 10-20 page document written from the viewpoint of a real person leading a real organization. The aspiring leaders of tomorrow then use Google to try and find the answer before realizing there is no “right answer.” The outcome is eventually presented to the students so they can learn about the process of complex decision making.
The case study approach comes in handy for investors as well when trying to determine which business models will become superior. Today, we’re going to talk about two business models for on-demand manufacturing (also called distributed manufacturing).
On-Demand Manufacturing
We’ve written before about The “On-Demand Manufacturing” Business Model which promises to transform the $12.7 trillion global manufacturing market. Simply put, the idea is to provide a platform that allows anyone to:
- Upload a design file, choose a material, specify quantity
- Get price quote(s) immediately
- Order the part and have it shipped straight to your door
In last year’s piece on Six Manufacturing-as-a-Service Co