Building an On-Demand Supply Chain in America's Urban Core w/ Elias Stahl
Elias Stahl, CEO and co-founder of HiloS, explains how his company is using advanced additive manufacturing to create footwear on demand, aiming to eliminate waste and bring production back to urban centers. Stahl details the inefficiencies of the traditional footwear supply chain, noting that while it takes 12-18 months to bring a shoe to market, HiloS reduces this to 90 days by simplifying parts and removing tooling. He discusses the second wave of 3D printing, highlighting improvements in hardware, materials, and software that now allow for scalable, industrial-grade production. The conversation covers the vision of integrating clean manufacturing into city cores to revitalize urban economies and the challenges brands face in shifting from low-cost, high-volume models to on-demand, higher-cost-per-unit models.