Open Source Hardware in Manufacturing – Opportunities and Challenges

ManufacturingManufacturing companies are operating in an environment that is becoming steadily more challenging and uncertain. The most serious risks in developed countries increasingly concern the shortage of skilled workers, growing competition from emerging countries, and ever-shorter developmentDevelopment cycles for products that are expected to meet a growing variety of individual customer requirements. In addition, on a macroeconomic level, labour productivity growth is declining. This is a warning sign for the overall economicEconomic outlook, which is particularly true for the European economicEconomic area. One of the reasons for this is the decreasing diffusion of innovations. A holistic approach is needed to address these challenges. One direction that has been discussed in recent years is the concept of open source hardwareOpen Source Hardware. This concept takes up the philosophy of open source software and aims to transfer this open and collaborative approach to physical products. The paper will present the current state of OSH, specifically focusing on its use in manufacturingManufacturing companies. Based on this, opportunities and risks for the application of OSH to manufacturingManufacturing companies will be derived.

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