ILSAN, KOREA — ‘The global supply chain is now open to anybody’
Chris Anderson, editor-in-chief of Wired magazine spoke on ‘Makers: The new industrial revolution’ at the opening ceremony of Korea Electronics Show (KES). Entering the third revolution, he emphasized that anyone can create products using the advancement of the Internet and 3D technologies.
“The initial industrial revolution started with spinning things. For hundreds of years, people used spinning wheels to make thread. After spinning jenny was introduced, it allowed one person to make many threads, amplifying human power and subsequently machine power. This has had a tremendous effect on human productivity, allowing multiple people to make a large number of things,” he said.
“The second industrial revolution was the digital revolution. With the invention of the personal computer and laser printers, people were able to make high quality publishing. However, this didn’t lead to mass production until the web came. The Internet allowed people to reach billions of readers and created democratization of media, with the click of a button on web browser.”
“Today, we are entering the third revolution. The world’s factories are open to individuals in this digital age. People can make things with various materials such as metal, glass, and plastic with 3D printers. With the development of 3D printing technologies as well as various design software such as Sketchup, Autodesk 123D, Tinkercad, individuals can create products on the desktop. Tinkercad in particular allows you to design on web browsers without having to download software.”
He also took ‘Maker Space’ as an example. “With a USD1,100 monthly subscription fee, users can rent necessary equipment for production, get technical training and have mass production. With the advent of crowd funding initiatives like kickstarters, people do not necessarily need as much money to start a company as they did in the past. This is what has allowed the web to take off and this is democratization of production.”
Chris Anderson spoke further of his ideas in an interview with Korea IT Times.
Q) As you mentioned, the U.S. will gain further momentum with ‘Maker’ as the country did with software after manufacturing had transitioned to China and India. Is it also applicable to Korea, which is still hardware and conglomerate-based society
A) That is a great question. Lessens of the web are democratization of technology. Look at the explosion of creativity and entrepreneurship that has been generated. The biggest web companies today – Google, Facebook, Twitter - by and large started from individuals who did not work for big IT companies. Korea has much to be proud of in terms of the web and infrastructure. There have been some experiments with open innovation in Korea, and some were successful, but it has not extended as far into software and hardware innovation entrepreneurship as it has elsewhere. I don’t know whether it is simply that conglomerates control a substantial amount of Korean economic activities, or it is about openness that run counters Korean culture. Ideally I would like to see more Korean kickstarters, and more entrepreneurs from grassroots. Korea has already proved to be the world’s best manufacturing and world’s best branding. I think what you really need to see thrive in the 21th century innovation model is the ability to use openness.
Q) You said the next big thing will be ‘Individual Maker’. This seems as though it will take place in quite the distant future given the current technology level.
A) The speed of technical advancement is faster than ever. It will be increasingly hard to tell what constitutes hardware and software, as both are going to be embedded in devices. Every device - not only electronics – will be smarter, cheaper and innovative with web interface.I don’t think this will be in the far distant future. 3D printing technology is a 21st century skill and I believe successful countries will introduce digital fabrication design into curriculum in the class in the next five years. Kids will learn CAD programs instead of art in computer lab with 3D printers that are cheap and available. I am sure Korea will be at the head of the pack and lead the industry.
In general what the web teaches us is that you don’t have to work only for the Korean market, but have the option to work globally. If you prototype something and you have ability to make them, people will become attracted to you and money is out there. Kickstarter will remove barriers to entry for entrepreneurship.
