The aim of this paper is to identify the enablers, barriers and benefits of implementing reconfigurable jigs in the off-site manufacturing of unique house elements. Due to de- mands on customization, volume and lowering the cost, there is a need to increase flex- ibility in the industry. The paper focuses on mainly two phases of implementation, which are manufacturing, design and engineering. The research questions are answered by applying a single case study method, taking place in a Swedish house manufacturing company. The study consists of four different techniques – interviews, time study, observations, and questionnaire which are sup- ported with an additional literature review. Hence, research questions are answered from a triangulation approach providing nuanced and dynamic perspectives. From observations and time study it is concluded that in current situation, changeover in manufacturing is time-consuming due to the difference in complexity of product var- iants, along with a complex and inefficient setup process that is not responsive to a changeable environment. Findings imply that the barriers in both phases include lack of knowledge about reconfigurability, communication, current capabilities of CAD sys- tems as well as training and education. Enablers are found to be awareness of the needs of improvements, long-term mindset and working with product platforms. The benefits of implementing reconfigurable jigs include a reduction of setup time in manufacturing, better storage and sharing of information along with a better interpretation of that in- formation, a better structure in the organisation.

A atual pesquisa faz parte do grupo de pesquisa, cadastrado no Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico, sobre moda na cadeia têxtil, tendo como foco as questões sociais da cadeia produtiva da manufatura do vestuário de moda. O mercado de produto de vestuário de moda massificado enfrenta grandes dificuldades com consumidores que desejam produtos personalizados e serviços rápidos, eficientes e, ao mesmo tempo, conforme suas necessidades. Cada vez mais as empresas do setor de vestuário necessitam de gestões eficientes a partir de novas estratégias alinhadas com as novas tecnologias visando o desenvolvimento, a produção e a comercialização do produto com o objetivo de atender a demanda do mercado consumidor. As empresas que apostam nesses produtos personalizados estão descobrindo que as soluções convencionais poderão ser extintas e que há necessidades de novas práticas para estarem aptos a desenvolver os produtos e serviços que atendam às necessidades e aos desejos dos seus consumidores. O processo de diferenciação e personalização na manufatura do vestuário da moda ocorre de forma cada vez mais acelerada. Neste contexto, a indústria em seu processo de desenvolvimento de novos produtos se antecipa buscando descobrir tendências, a fim de produzir de forma otimizada e atender a demanda de consumidores específicos que desejam ser percebidos de forma cada vez mais individualizada. Esta pesquisa tem como objetivo geral estudar a diferenciação e personalização da produção através da customização em massa, atendendo a demanda de um determinado público-alvo. Em relação aos procedimentos metodológicos, foram realizadas pesquisas bibliográficas que resultaram na fundamentação teórica, a qual auxiliou na construção dos questionários com perguntas semiestruturas, a serem aplicadas nos estudos de casos com empresas que utilizam estratégias de diferenciação do produto, através da customização em massa. Após, foi possível analisar os casos, bem como comparar por meio de quadros, as estratégias e processos utilizados pelas por estas empresas. Os resultados permitiram confirmar quais estratégias e processos são necessários para prática efetiva do produto diferenciado e personalizado através da customização em massa. Portanto, este estudo se justifica pela importância social e econômica do setor têxtil e da moda e pela escassez de bibliografia acerca do tema. Espera-se assim que essa pesquisa possa lançar luz em um campo pouco pesquisado, além contribuir com referencial bibliográfico / The present research is part of the research group, registered with the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development, on fashion in the textile chain, focusing on social issues of the productive chain of manufacture of fashion apparel. The massiveness fashion apparel product market faces great difficulties with consumers who want customized products and fast, efficient and at the same time, as needed. More and more clothing sector firms need efficient efforts from new strategies aligned with new technologies for the development, production and marketing of the product in order to meet the demand of the consumer market. The companies that invest in these customized products are finding that conventional solutions may be extinct and that there is need for new practices to be able to develop products and services that meet the needs and desires of its consumers. The differentiation and customization process in the fashion garment manufacturing is increasingly accelerated rate. In this context, the industry in the development process of new products anticipates seeking to discover trends in order to produce optimally and meet the demand for specific consumers who wish to be perceived increasingly individualized. This research has the general objective to study the differentiation and customization of production through mass customization, meeting the demand of a targeted audience. Regarding the methodological procedures were conducted literature searches that resulted in the theoretical foundation, which helped build the questionnaires with semi-structured questions, to be applied in the case studies with companies using product differentiation strategies through mass customization. After it was possible to analyze the cases and compare through frameworks, strategies and processes used by these companies. The results confirm what strategies and processes are needed for effective practice of differentiated and personalized product through mass customization. Therefore, this study is justified by the social and economic importance of the textile sector and fashion and the lack of literature on the subject. It is hoped that this research will shed light on a little-researched field, besides contributing to bibliographic references

For this thesis, the concept of e-mass customization, supported through e-commerceand away from mass production is considered as an alternative and sustainable strategyfor fashion and textile companies of western markets. Since the need for selfactualization and individualization increases among western societies, in addition tosustainably conscious consumption patterns, mass customization is one strategicsolution to face current market trends. In accordance to that, it is aimed to find highlyflexible supply chain possibilities suitable for this volatile industry sector. This isaccompanied by exploring modern and innovative production and information andcommunication technologies to ease cost, location and risk advantages. The main effortis placed on digital textile printers since this technological integration is regarded as ahub that supports a digital, yet flexible supply chain setup, regardless of point ofproduction. / Program: Master programme in Applied Textile Management

O termo customização em massa se refere à habilidade de fornecer produtos diferenciados aos consumidores sem que haja um aumento significativo de custos e tempo de entrega. Esta estratégia vem sendo adotada com sucesso por um crescente número de empresas do setor de manufatura, entretanto, o mesmo não se observa no contexto de produção habitacional. No Brasil, as empresas de construção civil engajadas na produção de habitações por intermédio de programas governamentais vêm sendo criticadas pela falta de eficiência em lidar com a diversidade de necessidades e desejos dos clientes finais. A oferta de flexibilidade nesses programas tende a ser muito limitada, devido, principalmente, à adoção de um paradigma de produção em massa no desenvolvimento desses empreendimentos. Dessa forma, o objetivo principal deste trabalho foi propor diretrizes para a adoção da estratégia de customização em massa na realização de empreendimentos habitacionais para a baixa renda no Brasil. Foram realizados dois estudos de caso em diferentes programas habitacionais, esses estudos foram desenvolvidos em três etapas. Na Etapa A buscou-se compreender o processo de desenvolvimento de produtos e identificar oportunidades para a adoção da customização em massa. Foram realizadas entrevistas com os agentes que participam do processo e analisados dados de fontes secundárias, previamente coletados por outros pesquisadores. A Etapa B teve como objetivo identificar os requisitos de customização. Para isto, foram analisados dados de fontes secundárias sobre o perfil dos clientes e avaliações pós-ocupação. Esses dados foram complementados com uma coleta sobre as adaptações realizadas realizadas pelos clientes durante o uso do imóvel. Por fim, a Etapa C caracterizou-se por uma reestruturação do PDP da empresa que participou desta pesquisa, na qual foram testadas as proposições sobre as oportunidades de adoção da customização em massa. As principais contribuições do presente trabalho dizem respeito não só a uma melhor compreensão da diversidade de requisitos do público-alvo desses programas, mas também à identificação de possibilidades de adoção da estratégia de customização em massa na realização de empreendimentos habitacionais para a baixa renda promovidos no âmbito de programas habitacionais Brasileiros. / Mass customisation stands for the ability to develop high value-added products within short time frames and at relatively low costs. This strategy is well known in manufacturing, where it has been widely used for competitive advantage. By contrast, the housing building industry in Brazil has been criticized for the lack of effectiveness in dealing with the diversity of customer needs. In low-income housing, for instance, product flexibility tends to be very limited, due to the fact that most housing programs adopt mass production core ideas in their conception. In this way, the main objective of this research was to propose guidelines for adopting a mass customization strategy in the provision of low-income housing in Brazil. Two case studies were carried out in different government housing programs. Both studies were divided into three phases. The first phase involved understanding the product development process and analysing opportunities to adopt a MC strategy. It was based on a set of interviews with product development participants and on the analysis of documents and secondary data previously collected by other researchers. The second phase consisted of mapping customization requirements, which was possible by analysing previously collected data regarding costumer’s profile and satisfaction. Also, data was collected to identify modifications made by users in their dwellings after occupation. Finally, in the third phase some propositions concerning the opportunities to adopt MC were tested. Some changes were implemented in the product development process of a house building company. Based on the main findings, guidelines for introducing a mass customisation in low cost housing are proposed. The main contributions of this research work are concerned with understanding the diversity of costumer’s requirements in low cost housing programs, and the identification of possibilities to adopt a mass customization strategy in the development of those programs in Brazil.

Atualmente, a customização apresenta-se como um importante diferencial competitivo para as empresas. No entanto, ao consumir bens customizados, o cliente está, em geral, sujeito ao pagamento de altos preços e à espera de longos tempos de entrega. Portanto, quanto mais as empresas desenvolverem soluções customizadas com altos níveis de eficiência, maior será a tendência de conquista do cliente. Nesse cenário, a customização em massa (CM), que está relacionada à produção de altos volumes de produtos e serviços customizados a um custo semelhante ao de itens padronizados, surge como solução. Verifica-se, porém, que, apesar da importância do setor de serviços no contexto atual, existe pouco conhecimento sobre a utilização da CM neste ramo de atividade. Dado isso, o objetivo desta dissertação é aplicar conceitos da CM, já difundidos na manufatura, no setor de serviços. Para atingir o objetivo, foram desenvolvidos três artigos. No primeiro artigo, foi realizada uma revisão da literatura a fim de identificar linhas de pesquisa já existentes sobre o tema e oportunidades possíveis de serem exploradas. No segundo artigo, foi proposta uma classificação para a customização de serviços, apresentando diversos tipos de customização possíveis de serem realizados nesse setor. No terceiro artigo, foi desenvolvido um dos tipos de customização apresentado no artigo anterior (mais especificamente, o tipo “Modularização e Plataforma de Serviços”) através da adaptação de um método de modularização, já utilizado para modularizar produtos, para o setor de serviços. Como conclusão geral, confirmou-se a expectativa de que a CM em serviços está em um nível baixo de maturidade, pois existem poucos estudos desenvolvidos sobre o tema. Além disso, verificou-se que as poucas soluções propostas pela literatura raramente são viáveis de serem utilizadas pelas empresas. Por fim, acredita-se que os habilitadores da CM em serviços devem considerar as características específicas desse setor, visto que, atualmente, os estudos introduzem no setor de serviços o que já foi desenvolvido para produtos, sem, no entanto, considerar as diferentes características desses dois setores. / Customization has been viewed as an important competitive advantage by companies. However, when consuming customized goods, customers are likely to pay higher prices and wait longer for the items purchased. Therefore, the more the companies develop customized solutions with high levels of efficiency, the greater the tendency to hold customers. In such context Mass Customization (MC), defined as the production of high volumes of customized products and services at mass production costs, arises as a solution. It is verified, however, that, despite the importance of the service industry, there is insufficient knowledge about the use of MC in such application context. The objective of this thesis is to apply MC concepts, already used in the manufacturing sector, in the service industry. We achieve that through the papers that compound this document. In the first paper, we present a literature review on MC in services and point to promising research opportunities. In the second paper, we propose a classification for service customization, presenting many types of customization feasible to be carried out in that sector. In the third paper we developed one of the customization types proposed in the second paper (namely, "Modularization and Platform of Services") by adapting a modularization method already used in manufacturing to the service sector. In general, we concluded that MC in the service industry is indeed at a low maturity level. Furthermore, it was found that the solutions proposed by authors are rarely applicable in practice. Finally, it is believed that MC enablers in the service industry should consider its specific characteristics instead of using solutions developed for products, without considering the specifics of the service industry.

Through interaction with customers, companies can acquire knowledge about- and satisfy the needs of customers. In retailing, the ranges of products are standardized and staffing numbers are scarce. How do companies in retailing deal with adaptation towards their customers given the small staffing numbers? The purpose of this study is to examine if and if so, how companies in the Swedish retailing industry are making adaptations towards their customers and also why these adaptations are being made. To answer this purpose, observations in the retailing industry are conducted and the results show that companies adapt to customers’ needs. However, this is not done through personalization. Finally, this study shows that companies in the retailing industry adapt to their customers mainly through mass-customization. / Genom interaktion med kunder kan företag skaffa sig kunskap om kundernas behov och tillgodose dessa. Inom dagligvaruhandeln är sortimenten standardiserade och personalstyrkan liten, något som torde missgynna interaktionen mellan parterna. Hur arbetar företag i dagligvaruhandeln med anpassningar till sina kunders behov när personaltätheten är förhållandevis låg? Syftet med studien är att undersöka om och i sådana fall hur ett företag inom den svenska dagligvaruhandeln anpassar sig till sina kunders behov, samt varför detta sker. För att besvara syftet görs observationer inom dagligvaruhandeln och resultaten visar att anpassning görs, dock ej personlig anpassning till enskilda kunders behov. Avslutningsvis visar studien att anpassning sker inom dagligvaruhandeln och att detta främst sker genom massanpassning. / Betyg: VG

Mass customization is promoted in manufacturing industry as a way to satisfy individual customer requirements in a flexible, efficient and cost effective way. However, mass customization within the specific sector of &lsquo / electronic consumer goods&rsquo / is relatively underdeveloped, whilst the contributions of industrial designers to mass customization remain quite unclear. This research redresses both of these issues, elaborating on the possibilities of mass-customization in the electronic consumer goods sector, and explaining how industrial designers can take a central role in implementation. Chapter 2 contains a literature review on key terms related to mass customization. A portfolio of mass customization case studies, from both within and outside electronic consumer goods, are presented and analyzed in Chapter 3, which also reports on a new classification system to define six discrete customization types. User needs research methods, including IDEO methods, are reviewed in Chapter 4 to determine those methods most applicable for use in the pilot (Chapter 5) and main (Chapter 7) &lsquo / research through design&rsquo / customization projects. The pilot project, conducted with METU industrial design undergraduates, explored opportunities and barriers for mass customization of electronic consumer goods / the main project, carried out by the Vestel ID Team under the SAN-TEZ scheme, resulted in a new mass customized all-in-one (AIO) PC for Vestel Electronics. In Chapter 6, results of interviews with Vestel staff are presented, uncovering the current situation within Vestel Electronics for implementing mass customization. Chapter 8 contains the research conclusions, including discussion of a proposed design-based mass customization design and development procedure.

Mass customization is promoted in manufacturing industry as a way to satisfy individual customer requirements in a flexible, efficient and cost effective way. However, mass customization within the specific sector of &lsquo / electronic consumer goods&rsquo / is relatively underdeveloped, whilst the contributions of industrial designers to mass customization remain quite unclear. This research redresses both of these issues, elaborating on the possibilities of mass-customization in the electronic consumer goods sector, and explaining how industrial designers can take a central role in implementation. Chapter 2 contains a literature review on key terms related to mass customization. A portfolio of mass customization case studies, from both within and outside electronic consumer goods, are presented and analyzed in Chapter 3, which also reports on a new classification system to define six discrete customization types. User needs research methods, including IDEO methods, are reviewed in Chapter 4 to determine those methods most applicable for use in the pilot (Chapter 5) and main (Chapter 7) &lsquo / research through design&rsquo / customization projects. The pilot project, conducted with METU industrial design undergraduates, explored opportunities and barriers for mass customization of electronic consumer goods / the main project, carried out by the Vestel ID Team under the SAN-TEZ scheme, resulted in a new mass customized all-in-one (AIO) PC for Vestel Electronics. In Chapter 6, results of interviews with Vestel staff are presented, uncovering the current situation within Vestel Electronics for implementing mass customization. Chapter 8 contains the research conclusions, including discussion of a proposed design-based mass customization design and development procedure.

This paper focuses on four interrelated strategies: postponement, mass customization, modularization and customer order decoupling point. The goal of the postponement is to delay the customization as late as possible in the supply chain. It is also known as delayed differentiation. Mass customization is a relatively new term, which began to gain attention in the industry a decade ago. It was an obligatory invention as a response to the global market which becomes more turbulent day by day for the last two decades. Its goal is to produce customized products at low costs. Modularization is a common term that is used in many areas. In this study, we will focus on product architecture modularity and process modularity. Customer order decoupling point, which is also known as order penetration point, is used to distinguish the point in the supply chain where a particular product is associated to a specific order. Our target is building a model that explains how these four concepts are related. In order to achieve this, we will, first, research every concept individually; we will state the definitions, levels, benefits, enablers, success factors, drivers, etc. of the concepts. Then we will study the pair-wise relationships of these strategies. We will build our model according to the findings we have found in the literature. After building our model, we will explore it in Autoliv Electronics to see how it works in practice. Briefly, our model states the following: Modularization is an enabler of customization and it is necessary for the success of mass customization where set-up costs are critical. Product architecture modularity provides rapid assembly and cost efficiency that is required for postponement and mass customization. In addition, it is used to measure the mass customization degree according to some others. Postponement requires process modularity, and it moves the customer order decoupling point downstream in the value added material flow. It contributes the mass customization by increasing both the leanness and agility. Customer order decoupling point uses the customer requirements and existing capabilities of the mass customization for optimizing the flexibility-productivity balance.

The starting motivation of this study is to develop an intuitively strong approach to addressing architectural design problems through computational models. Within the scope of the thesis, the complexity of an architectural design problem is modeled computationally by translating the design reasoning into parameters, constraints and the relations between these. Such a model can easily become deterministic and defy its purpose, if it is customized with pre-defined and unchangeable relations between the constraints. This study acknowledges that the relations between design constraints are bound to change in architectural design problems, as exemplified in the graduation project of the author. As such, any computational design model should enable designers to modify the relations between constraints. The model should be open for modifications by the designer. v The findings of the research and the architectural design experiments in the showcase project suggest that this is possible if mass customized sequences of abstract, modifiable and reusable relations link the design constraints with each other in the model. Within the scope of this thesis, the designer actions are mass-customized sequences of relations that may be modified to fit the small design tasks of relating specific design constraints. They relate the constraints in sequence, and are mass customized in an abstract, modifiable and reusable manner. Within this study, they are encoded in Rhino Grasshopper definitions. As these mass customized relations are modifiable, they are seen as a remedy for enabling the designers to build models that meet individual and intuitive needs of the design problems that designers define.