3D printing humanitarian supplies in the field

Anyone working in the field long enough will have experienced the frustration of failed supply chains, the backbone of all aid operations. Simply getting necessary items where they need to be at the right time is exceptionally challenging where uncertainty and disrupted physical and communications infrastructure mean that procurement orders, even for simple items, can take weeks or months to fulfil. Yet relief efforts need more than just lots of basic items. They also need individual ‘one-offs’, such as replacement parts for medical equipment or machines. Logistics are also expensive, accounting for an estimated 60–80% of costs related to humanitarian aid. These demands require novel approaches to making aid more efficient that go beyond incremental supply chain innovation.