Analysis of the 3D Printing Industry's Competitiveness across the Value Chain and Policy Implications

3D printing is a new manufacturing method used to make customized products that is also instrumental in driving manufacturing innovation. The global market for this technology has expanded rapidly thanks to a sharp increase in industrial applications. However growth of the Korean 3D printing market has hit a wall and specialized companies in Korea operate at a lower capacity than counterparts in major competitor countries. The Korean 3D printing sector urgently needs to raise its competitiveness, which is inferior despite receiving systematic policy support since 2016. Against this backdrop, for this paper we examine the value chain structure of the industry and analyze competitive advantage at each stage of the value chain. Based on the results of the analysis we propose directions for policy to enhance the competitiveness of the Korean 3D printing segment