As the warehousing costs and transportation cost continue to rise, manufacturing a product at the time and place at which the buyer is prepared to purchase it is beginning to sound like a better and better idea.

While it’s certainly hard to manufacture a shirt or a pair of shoes – on demand and potentially customized – in a retail store while the customer waits, there are examples of “production on demand” that are here and now, and make a lot of sense.

OK, ok, “production on demand” for a shirt is called a tailor and for shoes it is a cobbler, I’ll give you that. Still, how many of us have custom made clothing? Further more, how many have bought a “mass customized” product produced in front of our faces to our specifications?

Books on demand seems like the ideal application of production on demand. Especially since so many are returned, remaindered, and pulped. Anything that brings demand and supply closer together has to be a good thing! Still hasn’t happened. To be able to walk into a bookstore, browse a bit, and pick a title or two from a list that would be printed for me while I have a cup of coffee is very exciting. I’m waiting for a shop near me to install one!

I’ve been following the ups and downs of “books on demand” for several years. The On Demand Book Machine patent infringement case against Lightning Source, Ingram, and Amazon stirred up a lot of dust and set everyone’s nerves on edge. At one point, it looked like the broad interpretation of the patent would put an end to print on demand; however the case is in appeal and still dragging on. To see in-depth coverage of the case go to WhatTheyThink.com. You can also see another system from Israel, 1Book, that hasn’t yet been marketed in the U.S.

The latest twist on this concept is a kiosk that allows retailers to produce CDs and DVDs from a catalog of “virtual inventory” in their stores for customers who need wait only a few minutes for a “hot off the presses” product. SoftwareToGo, from Protocall Technologies, is exactly the same idea – download a music album, a video, or a software application from a catalog, and it will be burned onto a DVD or CD while you wait. And – get this – it will imprint the disc, print the jewel case liner and an insert all while you wait. So what’s new about this? Anyone can do this at home? What’s new is that some big names – McAfee, CompUSA, Tiger Direct, and Corel – are climbing onto the band wagon. Looks like this kind of production on demand is going prime time.

I’m waiting for the day when I can get one of those 3-D printers to put on my desk and “print” all kinds of handy dandy gadgets. Won’t be long now!

Gail Nickel-Kailing
principle, Business Strategies Etc.
editor-in-chief, Graphic Communications World