Mass customisation

Combining elements of mass production with those of bespoke tailoring

Mass customisation is a production process that combines elements of mass production with those of bespoke tailoring. Products are adapted to meet a customer’s individual needs, so no two items are the same.

Mass customisation uses some of the techniques of mass production; for example, its output is based on a small number of platforms, core components that underlie the product. In the case of a watch, the internal mechanism is a platform to which can be added a wide variety of personalised options at later stages of production. Thus the purchaser of a Swatch has thousands of different options in terms of colour, straps, fascia, and so on. Yet all are based on only a few time-keeping mechanisms. The same is increasingly true of cars. Even a traditional mass production manufacturer like BMW now boasts that no two of its new cars are identical.

Mass customisation is made possible by the use of information technology. Levi Strauss, which pioneered the idea in 1994 with its Original Spin jeans for women, measured customers in its stores and sent their details electronically to its factory. The customised jeans were then cut electronically and mailed to the customer.

The internet has greatly increased the possibilities for mass customisation. For example, Dell, a computer company, established its leadership of the PC market by allowing customers more or less to assemble their own PCs online. The company put together the components as requested at the last minute before delivery. Ford likewise allows its customers to build a vehicle from a palette of online options.

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Tags: mass customisation, mass customization, mass production, possibilities

This entry was posted on Friday, October 23rd, 2009 at 2:13 pm and is filed under Automotive, Consider This, Economist, Innovation, Shape of Things to Come?. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.