Stig B. Taps

Aligning supply chain design with manufacturing strategies in developing regions

Managing supply chains effectively is a complex and challenging task, due to the current business trends of increasing outsourcing of manufacturing activities to developing regions to gain competitive advantage from being close to customers, making available low and/or high skilled labour, participating in local government initiatives, and reducing transportation cost and production delivery lead times. This paper explores how a manufacturing enterprise, when sourcing production facilities to developing regions, chooses manufacturing strategies to reduce uncertainty rather than to gain competitive advantage according to how the enterprise obtains orders from its customers. The paper aligns the design of supply chain with the choice of manufacturing strategy by incorporating some of the most important design dimensions of uncertainties with production operations in developing regions. The result from empirical research of 34 international manufacturing joint ventures (IMJV) located in different developing regions shows that their choice of strategy is limited to manufacturing efficiency design with strong focus on cost advantage. This paper argues that these IMJV must follow contrasting supply chain design according to their focus on either product innovation as the primary objective for competitive advantage or on cost efficiency.

Sustainability Evaluation of Mass Customization

This paper addresses the issue whether the concepts mass customization and sustainability are fundamentally compatible by asking the question: can a mass customized product be sustainable? Some factors indicate that mass customized products are less sustainable than standardized products; however other factors suggest the opposite. This paper explores these factors during three life cycle phases for a product: Production, Use and End of Life. It is concluded that there is not an unambiguous causal relationship between mass customization and sustainability; however several factors unique to mass customized products are essential to consider during product development.

Mass Customization Measurements Metrics

A recent survey has indicated that 17 % of companies have ceased mass customizing less than 1 year after initiating the effort. This paper presents measurement for a company’s mass customization performance, utilizing metrics within the three fundamental capabilities: robust process design, choice navigation, and solution space development. A mass customizer when assessing performance with these metrics can identify within which areas improvement would increase competitiveness the most and enable more efficient transition to mass customization.

Mass Customization in SMEs: Literature Review and Research Directions

As mass customization is spreading to more and more different niches, this business strategy is no longer only applied by large companies offering products to end costumers. More SMEs are beginning to adopt this business strategy. This research is a literature review study to identify mass customization literature, which specifically addresses the challenges, which are relevant to SMEs. The literature study first indicates that very little literature has been published on mass customization in SMEs. Second, the literature study classifies the identified literature into (1) general or strategy-focused SME mass customization literature, (2) SME mass customization case studies, (3) choice navigation and information systems in SMEs, (4) solution space development in SMEs, (5) robust process design in SMEs, and (6) research focused on mass customization in specific industries. The paper concludes by identifying major gaps in literature and pointing out future research directions.

Mass Customization as Innovation Driver of International Competitiveness in Peripheral Regional SME Subcontractors

The manufacturing literature has for long been occupied with the linking of manufacturing capabilities with the competitive advantages of the company. The dominant manufacturing content approach is concerned with the consistent set of decisions about process technology design and organizational practices that can be exploited as competitive capabilities. This paper suggests that an open network structure demands a transformation of peripheral-located SME subcontractor from traditional customized producer to mass customized producer. Mass customization as an instrument for the transformation process consisting of practical tools on many different company levels will comply with the challenges the international competition charts.

From EcoDesign to Industrial Metabolism: Redefinition of Sustainable Innovation and Competitive Sustainability

Successful enterprises are distinguished by their sustainable development reliant on their ability to learn and develop innovative solutions. Recyclability (material and product design) and recycling (process design) emerge as new paradigm for sustainable competitiveness.

Describing Product Variety Using Set Theory

Three capabilities: solution space development, robust process design, and choice navigation are critical for mass customizers. In order to become and stay competitive, it is proposed to establish assessment methods for these capabilities. This paper investigates the usage of set theory as a means for developing metrics and assessment systems. It is concluded that set theory cannot be used as an assessment method directly but is useful in the development of metrics.

Customization Issues: A Four-Level Customization Model

Implementation of mass customization and product configuration in companies requires fundamental considerations about how products can fulfil the demand from customers. In order to support such decision-making, a multi-level model for customization is developed. This model identifies four different levels of customization, ranging from the structure level at the bottom, through the performance level and the experience level, to the learning level at the top. The model also has a dual view with customers/demand at one side and product/supplier at the other side. It is a rather general model, which can be applied to many types of products, and typically, product designers must decide how far up in levels the customization should aim. In this paper, the four-level customization model is applied to wheel chairs.

Metrics for Assessing Product Variety Utilization

In mass customization, offering the right variety is critical and it is therefore proposed to develop an assessment system for the capabilities critical for mass customization success. This paper proposes different metrics and methods for assessing the utilization of a company’s product variety. Two different methods are selected for further testing which is done on historical data for three different product families from three different companies. It is concluded that different metrics and methods may be relevant for different products, reflecting variety and complexity. However, in general, monitoring utilization of variety has potential to improve business for mass customization companies.

Slack Resource as Evolutionary Determinant of International Manufacturing Joint Venture’s Growth Performance

At present time in a world of change our understanding are constantly challenged with new knowledge that radically makes demand on prevailing theories and concept the scientific world for long have believed was unchangeable.