Mass Customisation: A Methodology and Support Tools for Low Risk Implementation in Small and Medium Enterprises

摘要

Mass production can no longer satisfy the demands of increasingly turbulent competitive environments. New paradigms of agility, responsiveness and mass customisation have emerged. Mass customisation provides product variety and customisation at prices comparable to a mass produced equivalent. However, this introduces new demands on firms. Whilst larger organisations can afford the risk of making mistakes, small to medium enterprises (SME's) are typically more vulnerable and need a structured lower risk approach. It is argued that successful implementation starts with the design of product families that maximise the reuse of components. An approach for optimising the design of product families that can be configured for the needs of SME's is introduced. A measure of product similarity and component reuse in product families is also presented. The approach is applied through a case study in a local SME.