Maker Movement

The maker movement is based on the idea that everyone can design, manufacture and distribute own products.

With affordable access to digital production technologies,
today it is possible for everybody to realize their own product ideas quickly and easily.

The products are either locally made in Makerspaces or manufactured at decentralized and globally available manufacturing facilities. In the industry, the trend of making is also becoming increasingly important. Three main drivers are responsible for the emergence of the maker movement: Firstly, the tools to innovate such as laboratory capacity, processing power, CAD programs, 3D printers for prototyping and simulation software are much more affordable today. Secondly, individuals have access to production infrastructure of industrial quality such as FabLabs or Makerspaces. Finally, open databases allow the use of various designs and thus a much more efficient development process. Research at the IIM institute focuses on the impact of the maker movement on startups, SMEs and established firms.