United Performance Metals and Authentise announce Vendor Managed Inventory solution for Additive Manufacturing
June 21, 2024

United Performance Metals’ (UPM) Additive Solutions, headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA, and Authentise, based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, have announced a partnership to introduce what they have called the first Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI) solution in the Additive Manufacturing sector.
“At UPM Additive, we are dedicated to delivering innovative solutions and the highest quality materials to our customers,” stated JJ Johnson, General Manager of UPM Additive Solutions. “The introduction of this VMI solution in partnership with Authentise represents a significant milestone for the additive manufacturing industry, showcasing its increasing maturity and the growing adoption of advanced technologies to streamline production processes, and we’re thrilled to be the first to deliver it.”
The VMI solution is intended to leverage Authentise’s technology to deliver comprehensive traceability for critical materials are always available and minimising the need for manual intervention.
“We are excited to join forces with United Performance Metals to introduce this transformative solution to the additive manufacturing industry,” said Andre Wegner, CEO of Authentise. “VMI is a natural extension of our existing Material Genealogy tools, which already provide detailed traceability record. This extends inventory history beyond materials and outside the walls of the manufacturer. By integrating our expertise in data-driven workflow tools with UPM’s extensive knowledge of high-performance metals and tools, we are enabling manufacturers to optimise their operations, reduce costs, and deepen transparency.”
The VMI solution is also expected to present financial advantages to manufacturers; by allowing consignment stock in the buyer’s warehouse, the solution reduces capital requirements and enhances cash flow. This flexibility enables manufacturers to quickly respond to evolving market demands and scale their operations more efficiently.
“Having seen what the new UPM and Authentise VMI solution can do, I3D MFG is thrilled to implement it,” Stephanie Bonfiglio, Director of Integration at I3DMFG, stated. “We look forward to achieving full traceability, automated inventory management, and the agility to scale our production as required. This solution has the potential to revolutionise the way we manage our materials and streamline our Additive Manufacturing processes. It’s essential for any rapidly scaling, industrial Additive Manufacturing operation such as ours.”