Optimizing Spare Parts Inventory Management: the Joint Replenishment Problem with Additive Manufacturing

In today's complex industrial landscape, managing spare parts inventory is essential for ensuring operational continuity and minimizing downtime costs. However, traditional inventory management strategies often struggle to keep up with the sector's dynamic demands. In this research, for the first time, we applied the well-known Joint Replenishment Problem (JRP) alongside Additive Manufacturing (AM) to optimize spare parts inventory management. Specifically, we benchmarked the joint replenishment of Classical Manufacturing (CM) parts with AM ones, both investigated under a periodic review policy. Notably, we found that while individual spare parts are more cost-effective with AM, joint management is most efficient with CM unless a 30% reduction in printing costs is achieved.