Getting back to business

2020 will be remembered as a tumultuous year marked by the global COVID-19 pandemic, social unrest, and other sources of human misery. At times, many of us struggled to think of anything but the tumult. Work, manufacturing—and, yes, even additive manufacturing—became second-tier concerns.

Many of us also searched for upbeat news and ways to put a positive spin on the situation. During the first few weeks of stay-at-home and social distancing orders, for instance, I spoke to a number of individuals in the AM community whose companies were working double and triple shifts 3D-printing nasal swabs and personal protective equipment. The company of one person I spoke to had just recorded the best quarter in its history, thanks to sales of entry-level plastic 3D printers for producing PPE.

I interpreted the upsurge and abundance of positive press about 3D printing PPE as the potential source of a rushing current of revenue for the AM industry. The reality, of course, is that the current eventually will slow.

Longtime industry analyst Terry Wohlers has also talked with people who report business is up because of the production of PPE. But he offered a more deliberate—and likely more accurate—assessment of the state of AM.

“I believe far more are encountering declines,” said the president of Wohlers Associates, publisher of the annual Wohlers Report on the 3D printing industry. He added that the Wohlers team hasn’t conducted a formal survey measuring the pandemic’s impact on the industry, but, speaking anecdotally, the health of an AM company largely depends on the sector it serves.

“For example, aircraft product development and manufacturing are down, but bicycle parts and accessories are up,” he said, noting that the aircraft sector is orders of magnitude larger than the bicycle market. “A few weeks ago, a fairly senior individual at an aerospace manufacturing company told me the company is not buying anything unless it attaches to an aircraft engine.”

As has become abundantly clear since the early days of the pandemic, this thing isn’t ending any time soon. And every aspect of our personal and professional lives has changed.

So what do we do? I’ve read and listened to hundreds of opinions and advice about the matter, and I still don’t know. The best work-related suggestion I heard came in mid-May from an executive at a 3D printing company.

She told me, “We have to get back to business or we won’t have a business to get back to.”

Sound advice. Getting back to business, I’ve realized, starts with me. I go to work every day in my home office. I focus on what I can control. I do my best. I move forward.

I hope you’re finding your way in these uncertain times.