Lead-Time Effect Comparison of Additive Manufacturing with Conventional Alternatives Martin KURDVE a,b,1 , Karl-Eric PERSSON a , Magnus WIDFELDT a , Johan BERGLUND a,b and Alexander DROTT c a RISE-Research Institutes of Sweden, Gothenburg, Sweden b Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg Sweden c Volvo Group, Sweden Abstract. This single case study used value stream mapping as input data to analyse alternatives for production of quenching tools in an on-site tool department of an automotive manufacturer. The existing manufacturing organised as a functional workshop was compared to the alternatives, adding an additive manufacturing cell or a conventional automated cell, with regards to lead-time and needed process changes. The results indicate that lead-time savings should not be the only reason for considering additive manufacturing. When it is beneficial for design and product functionality improvements, however, lead time improvements may give a contribution to the business case. Keywords. Additive manufacturing, Lead-time, Case study, Tool manufacturing, Scenario-based analysis method Introduction Although still immature in many application areas [1], additive manufacturing (AM), of steel products has developed from lab and pilot scale into being a full-scale production alternative for especially small series special part production [2, 3]. In automotive industry and other large volume manufacturing, a large variation of machining and quenching tools are used [4]. Tool supply to these is often done either by specialised tool suppliers or by inhouse tool manufacturing departments on-site, supporting with tools on demand. In many built-to-order manufacturing processes the lead-time is one of the most important parameters. Especially for complex and expensive replacement tools, stocks need to be kept at low levels why lead time for replenishment of tools need to be kept short. Value stream mapping (VSM) is often used to analyse lead times and find opportunities for improvement in the value-chain [5, 6]. In addition to lead time, cost, sustainability and function of the produced tool is important when evaluating manufacturing options (e.g. AM) of such tools. AM gives opportunity to produce customised products with advanced design on- demand, but there is a significant need for methods, frameworks and tools that will 1 Corresponding Author. martin.kurdve@chalmers.se SPS2020 K. Säfsten and F. Elgh (Eds.) © 2020 The authors and IOS Press. This article is published online with Open Access by IOS Press and distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License 4.0 (CC BY-NC 4.0). doi:10.3233/ATDE200207 672