The Maker Movement and the Disruption of the Producer-Consumer Relation

Abstract

Abstract. The Maker movement represents a return of interest to the physical side of digital innovation. To explore expectations and values within the Maker movement, we applied qualitative research method, interviewing 10 managers of maker initiative as well as 39 makers from eight different countries. The paper analyses how the Maker movement is contributing to a change in production, logistics and supply chains and how it changes the relationship between producer and consumer. Based on the interview data and supported by literature, the study indicates that the Maker movement has the potential to impact producer-consumer relationships in many ways. Making, on a bigger scale would mean producing locally, de-centralised and on-demand. This would have an impact on the logistics and the supply chain. Long transportation routes would be avoided and shorter supply chains would make some of the-inbetween vendors obsolete. Makers as prosumers, who produce for themselves, are introducing two growing phenomena: a more personalised relationship between maker and object and personalised products as a form of self-expression.

The Role of Urban Manufacturing for a Circular Economy in Cities

“…Research on urban manufacturing is motivated by a renewed interest of relocating manufacturing to urban areas. Technological developments allow manufacturing processes to be smaller, quieter, less polluting, and distributed, making it easier for manufacturers to justify their presence in cities [48][49][50]. The increased availability of cheap digital fabrication tools such as Computerized Numerical Control (CNC) routers, laser cutters, and 3D printers (also known as 'additive manufacturing'), as well as the increased presence of open workshops (such as fab-labs and makerspaces), has given more individuals and small businesses the opportunity to engage in urban manufacturing activity [5,7].…”

“…Smaller and cheaper digital fabrication technologies make them more accessible, lowering the threshold of capital required to start a manufacturing business (Interviewee B). Organizational nimbleness and reduced prototyping costs allow designers and manufacturers to get their work into the public domain without too much upfront investment, allowing for a shorter and faster product development cycle [48,50,60,70].…”

“…In terms of flow-related push factors, urban manufacturing has the potential to contribute to a circular economy-shorter supply chains mean lower transportation emissions [54,55,60,70], and increased local manufacturing capacity gives a greater potential for turning local secondary or residual materials into local resources [29,31,58,70]. Moreover, the maker movement has a thriving repair, recycle, and upcycle culture, where, for example, additive technologies can facilitate the reparability of products [50,60].…”

“…Niche markets, such as custom-made shoes, high-end bicycle messenger bags, or custom-made fire-fighter jackets [48,50]; (Interviewees A, B)…”

Not Every Remix is an Innovation

“…3D printing is a hugely dynamic area, becoming ever more accessible to a growing number of tech-affine tinkerers [41]. 3D printing is also a corner stone of the Maker movement, which lowers the entry barriers to innovation by enabling fast prototyping and experimenting with ideas [39]. While declining in price, printing materials are constantly improving, printers become more reliable and the opportunities seem limitless, as indicated in an early cover story from the Economist in February, 2011, which said "Print me a Stradivarius" [14].…”