Swiss multinational Nestlé has rolled out a standardized 3D printing process across its UK manufacturing sites, including York, Tutbury, and Halifax, producing spare parts and replacement components in-house. The initiative aims to reduce costs, cut transportation-related emissions, and decrease reliance on external suppliers, with a target of producing over 5% of site inventory via 3D printing in the coming years.
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Last month, Nestlé partnered with Markforged, a manufacturer of metal and carbon fiber 3D printers, to host a workshop at its York campus showcasing AM for high-volume production. The workshop brought together engineers, industry representatives, and digital transformation teams for hands-on demonstrations and discussions on scaling AM across the company.
Simon Billington, Head of Technical & Production at Nestlé UK and Ireland, said: “As we continue to embrace 3D printing technology, we are not only enhancing our operational efficiency but also paving the way for sustainable manufacturing practices that will define the future of our industry.” Alan Yu, Senior Application Engineer at Markforged, added: “Nestlé has advanced its use of additive manufacturing in production line maintenance by creating a clear, standardized process to evaluate and scale its impact.”
Looking ahead, Nestlé plans to expand 3D printing to food-safe components, giving each site more autonomy to meet its own part requirements while maintaining consistent quality and efficiency over the next two to five years.
Smart Manufacturing and the Future of Additive Manufacturing
Nestlé’s adoption of standardized 3D printing across its UK sites exemplifies a growing global trend toward smart, data-driven manufacturing. According to Deloitte’s 2025 Smart Manufacturing Survey, an increasing number of companies are implementing digital factory solutions to enhance agility and responsiveness.
For example, Hexagon’s Digital Factory unveiled at the Farnborough International Air Show 2024, allows manufacturers to create digital replicas of their factory floors and integrate digital twins of machinery, optimizing layouts and workflows. Developed through Hexagon’s Manufacturing Intelligence division, it combines 3D metrology technology with cloud-based collaboration tools to enable remote monitoring, decision-making, and smarter operations.
In 2020, Quality assurance (QA) software developer Sigma Labs partnered with advanced manufacturing firm IN4.OS to build “Smart Factories of the Future,” integrating DMG MORI’s LASERTEC metal 3D printers and Sigma’s PrintRite3D technology to ensure high-quality production. These cyber-physical facilities aim to provide defense and aerospace firms with scalable, location-agnostic, industry 4.0 manufacturing for mission-critical parts.
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Featured image shows 3D components. Photo via Nestlé.
