Episode 33: Erik Richardson, Continuous Improvement and Quality Manager - Intertape Polymer Group
In this week’s episode, host Matt Griffin sits down with Erik Richardson, Continuous Improvement and Quality Manager from Intertape Polymer Group. Erik shares how he and his team leverage professional desktop 3D printing in their fast-paced manufacturing facility in Tremonton, UT to solve challenges in a few dollars and hours that would otherwise have taken weeks and thousands of dollars.
Traditional manufacturing is changing. Supply chain disruptions are a global problem. Machine shops are backed up with long lead times. Additive Manufacturing (AM) is not the end-all solution but has a place to eliminate Minimum Order Quantities and reduce maintenance costs. Over the years, large companies have declared huge transformational changes, which some have successfully done so, but it’s not the norm. This narrative has created artificial barriers to entry into the AM world for those uncertain how to get started, yet 3D printing as a technology has matured beyond early adopters and educational facilities.
Intertape Polymer Group (IPG), a provider of films, tapes, and protective packaging to customers and major players in the online retail and industrial supplies products industry, had been sitting on the fence for many years before jumping into AM. Four months after a successful pilot launch, IPG rolled out AM into 15 different locations around the world.
“I like to think of it as compound interest,” Erik says. “I can create the idea now, I can put in the work on the front end so that I can empower people down the road. I don't want to teach additive. I want to teach problem-solving and additive is a tool for problem-solving.”