Consumers love to be able to customize products (for example by a 3D configurator) to their own needs and mass customization makes it possible for local manufacturers to offer a growing range of custom options. For example, Californian automaker Tesla is disrupting the traditional car trade by using digital technologies to replace the carless with a virtual, customized approach. Buyers can go into a shop with only two vehicles on the sales floor and select the function of their own custom vehicle via a touch screen display. The purchase can then be made locally or at home via Tesla`s website.

The following video explains Mass Customization in more detail:

For privacy reasons YouTube needs your permission to be loaded. For more details, please see our Datenschutzerklärung.

Mass customization has an enormous impact on the way products are manufactured and sold. In this article, we will introduce some new technologies that are driving the mass customization revolution, how companies take advantage of them, and how they promote the reshoring of domestic production.

3D visualizations on the web.

Many large and small companies increasingly rely on 3D visualizations in their mass customization strategy. 3D configurators are on the advance, with which users can adapt the respective products to their own needs.

3D configurators are not only offered to private customers, but are also increasingly used in the B2B sector. A good example is the German company Wanzl Metallwarenfabrik GmbH with its individual shopfitting division. Here, shops and discounters can configure their own shopping carts online in real time. Test it yourself on the following page.

In addition to industry, 3D configurators are increasingly used in the jewellery, eyewear and automotive sectors.

3D scanning and printing.

A report by McKinsey and Company has identified seven technologies in two key areas that are currently driving mass customization. One of these is 3D scanning and modeling. This technology uses scanners to collect three-dimensional information from physical objects and create virtual 3D models that can be used to create custom products.

One example is the 3D scanning used under Armour to design tailor-made shoes for Michael Phelpsthat that exactly fit his feet. Nike also used 3D scanning to create custom spikes for the Sprinter Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce. In other manufacturing areas, 3D scanning with high-precision lasers scanners enables excellent quality control of parts in the automotive and aerospace industries. The use of 3D scanning complements 3D printing, another technology that promotes mass customization. While 3D scanning makes it easy to create custom designs, 3D printing makes it efficient and cost-effective to create custom products. For example, Apple Rubber uses 3D printing to produce custom O-rings for customers in a variety of industries.

Other 3D printing applications include apparel, cars and homes. For example, 3D printing has enabled Caterpillar to save up to 90 percent on some of its production projects. This is in addition to the savings the company has made by relocating its manufacturing facilities from China to Victoria, Texas, where it opened a state-of-the-art facility in 2012. Caterpillar hired 225 new employees and expects to increase its workforce to 800.

Erhöhen Sie Ihr Verkaufsvolumen.

Mit unseren 3D-Konfiguratoren erreichen Sie mehr kommerziellen Erfolg auf Website..

Jetzt beraten lassen

Recommendation Engines.

Another technology that enables Mass Customization is Recommendation Engines, which address customers with personalized offerings based on their purchase history. This technology is familiar to most customers through Amazon`s recommended purchase feature, but can be adapted to any industry, including ready meal sales.

For example, the CarZen engine personalizes the auto shopping experience by allowing users to enter information to generate suggestions and quotes that match their preferences. Users can also perform individual searches based on their own specifications or compare quotes. Cloud platforms such as Google Drive enable developers to develop bespoke engines that meet the needs of any industry.

Business and production software and flexible manufacturing systems.

For companies that want to create customized recommendations for efficient production plans, they need a few other technologies. One of these is the enterprise and production software, which enables design features in individual customer ordersto be translated into procurement and production instructions. For example, AutoDesk`s Configura One automates the process of configuring, pricing and quoting custom designs. This type of software also gives production personnel realistic schedules and alerts for out-of-stock components.

Another production technology that works well in conjunction with 3D printing is Flexible Manufacturing Systems (FMS). This technology, developed by the automotive industry and adopted by other industries, uses programmed robots with interchangeable ones to move quickly and efficiently from one product model to another. For example, Ford`s One Manufacturing System allows workers in the same plant to work on multiple models on one or more platforms so that a plant can produce gas, electric and hybrid vehicles. Ford`s adoption of flexible robots has helped support the company`s initiative, which recently brought 3,250 jobs from Mexico to Michigan and Ohio.