Consolidated Contractors Company to create virtual warehouse with 3D-printed inventory

Greek construction giant Consolidated Contractors Company (CCC) has teamed up with UAE-based Immensa to create a digital warehouse which will 3D-print parts on demand.

Immensa predicts that companies are sitting on $10trn of inventory at any given time, and says that 3D printing as and when parts are needed can greatly reduce supply chain lead times and costs.

Aref Boualwan, Manager M.I.S. & Business Process Re-Engineering at CCC, commented: “If we can get to a point over the next few years whereby a small percentage of our inventory can be digitised the impact will be significant.

“What encouraged us to embrace inventory digitization is simplifying the supply chain and the ability to reproduce items in remote areas when and where it is most needed.”

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CCC is the largest construction company in the Middle East, founded in 1952 and today managing a workforce of more than 110,000 employees.

Recent research suggests that the concrete 3D printing market is set to $56.4mn by 2021, growing at a rate of 15% a year. The technology is clearly of interest to the likes of CCC, which is seeking to streamline its supply chain and make its operations more sustainable.

Fahmi Al-Shawwa, CEO of Immensa Technology Labs, added: “We believe that supply chains and logistics can be handled virtually, and that 3D printing technology will transform the traditional supply chain as well as the logistics and warehousing industries.

“We are pleased to be demonstrating the potential of this approach and explore its potential with CCC.”