Part V: Customer Centric Manufacturing
Process design, production planning and control for achieving near mass
production efficiency Customer Centric Manufacturing
The term mass customization represents an oxymoron, and at no stage of
the mass customization value chain is this more true than in manufacturing.
The contradiction within the claim of producing high variety products
with mass production efficiency poses a great challenge for manufacturing
in any enterprise. Manufacturing for mass customization introduces multiple
dimensions, including a drastic increase in variety, multiple product
types manufactured simultaneously in small batches, product mixes that
change dynamically to accommodate the random arrival of orders and the
wide spread of due dates, and throughput that is minimally affected by
transient disruptions in manufacturing processes such as breakdown of
individual workstations. Solving the trade-off between customer centric
manufacturing on the one hand (meaning high variety and fast responsiveness)
and low costs, stable capacity utilization and high quality on the other
necessitates incorporating systematic methodologies for manufacturing
planning, process design and quality assurance in an integrated manner.
Main enablers of customer centric manufacturing are modern flexible manufacturing
technologies. They focus on batch production environments using multipurpose
programmable work cells, automated transport, improved material handling,
operation and resource scheduling, and computerized control to enhance
throughput. The development, implementation, operative planning and control
of these systems were the kernel of research on mass customization in
the last three decades. But despite this history of research in the field,
there are still many unanswered questions and new methodologies needed,
as the chapters of Part IV will demonstrate.
Urbani,
Tosatti, Bosani and Pierpaoli open the field in Chapter 19. The authors
elaborate on the internal and external implications of mass customization
and propose system capabilities which focus on flexibility and reconfigurability
as a possible solution. They discuss the relationship between the principles
of a mass customization system and the evolution of corresponding manufacturing
systems. Several mass customization oriented paradigms are compared with
a hypothetic, desirable evolution in market organization, providing an
analytical approach. Tsigkas, de Jongh, Papantoniou and Loumos consolidate
this discussion and present an innovative approach in Chapter 20 called
"Distributed Flow Design and Development". This method should
integrate product and process development. The objective is to boost the
capability to sense quickly changing customer value requirements followed
by the capability to rapidly transform these requirements and expectations
in a variety of new product platforms and services. Their solution is
closely related to the principles of lean manufacturing. Lean manufacturing
and mass customization can supplement each other. The authors also introduce
a new performance indicator to measure how fast an enterprise turns customer
demands into value-adding mass customized products. A steady increase
in this factor will lead an enterprise towards continuous, customer centric
invention.
While the first two chapters of Part V argue on the level of strategic
production planning, Lopitzsch and Wiendahl address the important issue
of planning and controlling a mass customization manufacturing system
on the operative level. In Chapter 21 they present their approach of "Segmented
Adaptive Production Control" which combines the advantages of a customer-oriented
push system with the benefits of an efficiency orientated system of pull
control. In doing so, their approach merges KANBAN and CONWIP control
systems. The system makes it possible to control the manufacturing of
parts manufactured in mass production as well as of customized parts being
produced at the same work stations. Traditional control approaches relying
on either push or pull principles are unable to face the trade-off between
variety and efficiency introduced by mass customization.
The next three chapters address mass customization manufacturing from
a broader perspective. In Chapter 22 Schenk and Seelmann-Eggebert comment
on the complexity of implementing mass customization in an existing mass
or serial production system. Pioneering examples of customer centric manufacturing
often focus on newly founded enterprises. However, most firms will implement
mass customization principles within an existing setting. Implementing
mass customization is reflected in all parts of a company and consequently
in the entire supply chain. As existing production and logistics systems
have evolved individually, no standard solution can be offered for the
implementation of mass customization into an existing production line.
The authors name some of the resulting challenges. An important point
is the training of the employees in manufacturing which must be able to
respond promptly to changing demands, too. Modularization can be seen
as a main enabler and principle of being customer centric efficiently.
However, though many companies have gained experience with modularization,
there is still significant confusion about managing the modularization
effort. The cause-effect relationships related to modularization are complex
and comprehensive. In Chapter 23 Hansen, Jensen and Mortensen discuss
the impact of modularization in greater detail. Recognizing the need for
further empirical research, the authors formulate a research framework
with the purpose of uncovering the current state of modularization using
the example of Danish industry. Finally, Mchunu, de Alwis and Efstathiou
present a framework for selecting a best-fit mass customization strategy
in manufacturing. The authors report about their findings in a large-scale
empirical project and introduce a methodology for characterizing the mass
customization capability of a manufacturing enterprise (Chapter 24). Their
methodology emphasizes the collection and analysis of quantitative as
well as qualitative data. A key component is the use of a field workbook
to collect triangulated data. Together with three other tools presented
in this chapter, it forms a framework that aids the selection of an optimal
mass customization strategy.
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