Our speaker on Tuesday, February 8 is Matthew Wolak, Additive Advisor for 3D Printing BDM
 
A brief synopsis from Matthew's Linkedin profile:
 
As my career has developed, and my understanding of manufacturing and its existing processes has grown deeper, I've learned that understanding a business' current environment is far more important than anything else. When it comes to 3D printing, it's not as much about what applications we can uncover - or the ROI we can deliver on a machine, but more about knowing what matters to the organization. Additive Manufacturing is about solving a business problem and you can't solve that problem without a business case. I help companies develop that business case and it's my job to find an application(s) that supports it. That is different from finding applications fitting for the technology because, quite frankly, anyone can find something to 3D print within their organization. The business case should make it clear that an investment in the platform you choose can deliver on the value of solving your business problem. 

How do we do that?

Most often, an additive manufacturing conversation is centered around an application or what the machine can do; its capabilities, it's build volume, its speed, and its material options. But what we've found is that is neither beneficial nor appropriate starting out. Before we can begin to evaluate the technology, we need to understand the needs of your business. Not just from a departmental standpoint, but from the zoomed out view of everything overall. Why does that matter? It matters because when your machinist has a backlog of 15-20 projects, or 100hrs, or 30 days - you need to know what that's worth. If one of those projects is worth $100,000 and the customer wants it yesterday - your ability to fill that order is worth $100,000. Lose 5 of those projects, and that just cost your company half a million dollars. Now, a 3D printer (or printers) becomes relevant. It is then, that we discover together, how additive manufacturing can help solve that problem.