The Internet was the technology that was going to give us the tools to leverage the power of the computer to be more efficient, save time, make more money, work smarter. Essentially it was going to radically change our lives for the better. And you could easily argue that this had happened in so many ways that weren’t imaginable when it was first introduced.
The Internet unleashed untold possibilities. It freed us up from geography. We can access information and work from anywhere. Theoretically, we don’t need to use paper for anything anymore. It’s all in the Cloud. Our data is available anytime, anywhere, and accessible from a multitude of electronic devices. Nor do we need the type of phones, pens, watches, clocks, cameras, desks, and a whole host of other physical items that were the mainstay of life and business. All of these to one degree or another have been usurped and replaced through the marvels of modern technology: personal computers, tablets, and mobile devices. The Internet truly is a beast when it comes to HyperLeveraging technology. Stronger than any lever that Aristotle could have imagined.
Take the example of Greneker, a 75-year-old company that specializes in mannequin design and production. Recognizing that the world of retail fashion, especially in the area of sports apparel, was changing dramatically, it sought out technologies that could address the new business landscape it anticipated was developing. Seeing an opportunity to leverage technology to reduce its reliance on the established, labor-intensive methods of clay sculpture to create prototypes, it embraced 3D printing.
As Steve Beckman, President of the company, stated in a recent video, “We positioned ourselves as the experts in this type of mannequin design and transitioned to everything being 3D printed.” This dramatically reduced the time to develop a line of mannequins by a factor of 10, from six months to just a couple of weeks. Greneker had reached HyperLeverage by proactively seeking out 3D printing expertise when it first emerged. And it continued to upgrade and refine its 3D equipment and processes even further to reduce time to market dramatically and to be significantly more responsive to market trends. Thanks to technology, Greneker continues to dominate its market niche, working with almost all major sports apparel brands globally.
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