Mass Customized Manufacturing: Theoretical Concepts and Practical Approaches
Abstract
This book brings several original contributions to research and practical applications in the field of mass customization from the designer, manufacturer, and customer perspectives respectively. It presents advancements in product design for mass customization, design of assembly and supply chain processes, variety induced complexity models, complexity management, marketing tools, information systems to support decision-making, and critical success factors of this manufacturing and marketing strategy. A special focus of interest is also on the use of product configurators in practice and sustainability assessment for mass customization strategy. The aim is to disseminate current developments and approaches for further theoretical investigation and practical applications of mass customized manufacturing systems.
... Their differences also lie in nature of application domains for which they are intended. For example, for a customized manufacturing is typical job-shop scheduling [100,101], for assembly lines is mostly considered flow-shop scheduling problems [102,103], and open job shop scheduling is frequently applicable in healthcare [104,105]. ...
... Their differences also lie in nature of application domains for which they are intended. For example, for a customized manufacturing is typical job-shop scheduling [100,101], for assembly lines is mostly considered flow-shop scheduling problems [102,103], and open job shop scheduling is frequently applicable in healthcare [104,105]. ...
In this study, a systematic review on production scheduling based on reinforcement learning (RL) techniques using especially bibliometric analysis has been carried out. The aim of this work is, among other things, to point out the growing interest in this domain and to outline the influence of RL as a type of machine learning on production scheduling. To achieve this, the paper explores production scheduling using RL by investigating the descriptive metadata of pertinent publications contained in Scopus, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar databases. The study focuses on a wide spectrum of publications spanning the years between 1996 and 2024. The findings of this study can serve as new insights for future research endeavors in the realm of production scheduling using RL techniques.
... The tested graphs of ALSs of class#4 are shown in Fig. 1, the graphs of ALSs of classes#5-7 are available in Appendix 1, while the graphs of ALSs of class#8 can be found in work of 69 . ...
It is widely accepted that a proper structural modularity degree of assembly processes in terms of mass customization has a positive effect on their efficiency because it, among other things, increases manufacturing flexibility and productivity. On the other hand, most practical approaches to identify such a degree is rather based on intuition or analytical reasoning than on scientific foundations. However, the first way can be used for simple assembly tasks, but in more complex assembly processes, this method lags behind the second. The purpose was to create a methodology for selection of optimal modular assembly model from among a predefined set of alternatives. The methodology is based on exploration of the relations between modularity measures and complexity issues as well as the relationship between structural modularity and symmetry. Especially, the linkage between modularity and complexity properties has been explored in order to show how modularization can affect distribution of the total structural complexity across the entire assembly line. To solve this selection problem, three different methods are preliminary suggested and compared via a series of numerical tests. The two of them present the novel contribution of this work, while the third method developed earlier for the purpose of finding and evaluating community structure in networks was adapted for a given application domain. Based on obtained results, one of these method is prioritized over another, since it offers more promising results and precision too.
... e vast majority of studies on modularity deal with product and organizational modularity (see, e.g., [16][17][18][19]). One of them has been offered by Ulrich [20] who provided a comprehensive overview of product modular design approaches in engineering. ...
This study is aimed at exploring the problem of quantification of process modularity degree. Modularity as a system design principle is apprehended here as the extent to which processes can be decomposed into modules to be executed in parallel and/or in series. For this purpose, a new method is proposed to measure relative modularity of different assembly process structures. This method is compared with other relative modularity measures, namely singular value modularity index, degree of process module, and process module independence, in order to verify its effectiveness. For this purpose, selected representative types of assembly process structures are used. This testing proved that the proposed relative modularity indicator for manufacturing and/or assembly process structures reflects the expected system property in adequate way.
1. Introduction
In wider sense, system modularity can be characterized as the degree to which a system is made up of relatively independent parts, while each part is typically carrying an isolated set of functionality [1]. System modularity concept, similar to system complexity, is an important element of general systems theory, since one can apply it to different kinds of systems such as technical, social, or biological systems, respectively [2, 3]. Sako and Murray [4] identify three arenas of modularity, which are modularity-in-design (MID), modularity-in-use (MIU), and modularity-in-production (MIP). Manufacturing assembly processes that are of interest in this paper belongs to the third domain, where consequences of the MID have to be adapted to the factory floor. As MIP can be viewed from different aspects, here it is useful to introduce a working classification of system modularity as shown in Figure 1.
This study was prepared to know the role of customer relations management
in Enhancing Mass Customization , in the General Company for Electrical and
Electronic Industries in Baghdad governorate, as customer relationship
management was adopted (as an independent variable) expressed by its dimensions
(customer acquisition, customer value, customer satisfaction, customer retention).
And the Mass Customization (as a dependent variable) represented by its entrances
(the cooperative approach, the adaptive approach, the cosmetic approach, the
transparent approach), in order to address the problem of the study, which is “Does
customer relationship management in terms of its dimensions contribute to
Enhancing broad recommendation in the researched organization?”
This study adopted a hypothetical scheme that reflects the nature of the
hypotheses that express the availability of the dimensions of the study variables in
the researched organization, and the correlation and influence relationships
between them at the macro and micro levels. The researched organization retrieved
(75) questionnaires, and the collected data were analyzed by adopting several
statistical methods (descriptive and analytical) according to the statistical program
(SPSS).
The researcher reached a set of conclusions, including the possession of the
researched organization of the dimensions expressing each of the customer
relations management and the broad recommendation, as well as the existence of
correlation and significant influence relations between them (the two variables of
the study) and at the macro and partial levels of their dimensions, and in the light
of these conclusions several proposals were presented to organizations in general
The research is private. Keywords: Customer Relationship Management,
Dimensions of Customer Relationship Management, Mass customization, Mass
customization approaches.
Key words: Customer Relationship Management, Dimensions of Customer Relationship
Management, Mass Customization, Approaches to Mass Customization.
In general, scheduling in mass customization (MC) is mostly focused on minimizing possible lateness, since, as known, the production cycle times of standard products are shorter than the cycle times of mass-customized products. In order to minimize possible lateness through scheduling optimization, we can employ one of the suitable scheduling criteria such as the Earliest due date, Slack, or Shortest processing time. Another simultaneous approach how to minimize the possible lateness can be based on optimization of manufacturing process structure. In this paper, we will explore process modularity impact on manufacturing lead times and throughput rates. This paper is divided into four main parts. Introduction section describes the stated problem and motivation for research. The second part is dedicated to the description of the proposed methodological framework. Then, the theoretical case study is presented in the third section. Finally, the last section summarized the final findings based on obtained results from the case study.KeywordsProcess ModularityMass CustomizationSimulationManufacturing Lead TimeThroughput RateIndustry 4.0
Industry 4.0 has driven the era of mass customized production to higher level as it is needed to satisfy increasing customer needs and demands. To keep up with these ever-increasing and changing requirements, the highly flexible and rapid reconfigurable manufacturing lines have to be used to ensure quick and easy change the type of product being produced. Moreover, application of modular production makes manufacturing systems more flexible and contributes to reducing manufacturing lead time. Therefore, this paper is aimed to provide the evidence that modularity has positive impact on manufacturing lead time. For this purpose, the relation between the process modularity and manufacturing lead time will be investigated.KeywordsModularityOptimal ModularityProcess StructuresManufacturing Lead Time
As mass customization becomes more pervasive in many sectors, researcher needs to update traditional approaches to optimization of critical performance and design parameters in order to help companies in their effort to implement this strategy. In general, implementation of mass customization from manufacturing perspective is frequently focused on shortening cycle times, reducing production cost, and increasing throughput rate of parts. In this paper, process structure modularity impact on manufacturing lead times and throughput rates is explored. An important precondition to explore these relationships is awareness that process modularity is conceptualized and quantified in an appropriate way. For this purpose, two independent modularity measures were employed to provide more reliable assessment of this system property. The relationships were investigated on the basis of simulation experiments using deterministic models of alternative process structures. The results from the experiments showed that there are strong correlations between process modularity and manufacturing lead time, as well as between process modularity and throughput rate.
Healthy residential buildings represent the future of construction concerned with the environment, which is increasingly emphasized. This is directly related to the research and development of environmentally friendly building materials, which on the one hand meet the specific requirements of the builder, and on the other hand do not harm the environment. The research is based on the possibility of achieving increased variability in healthy residential buildings via the customization of recycled polyvinyl butyral using smart technologies for sustainable design. This study has two sub-goals; the first and foremost is the development and adaptation of recycled polyvinyl butyral to increase the elevation of the healthy residential buildings. The second objective is to design a methodology, and create databases and intelligent designs, via knowledge and building information modeling (BIM) technologies. In future research, data on environmental materials (such as the abovementioned recycled polyvinyl butyral) should be implemented in the knowledge databases that will be methodically described in our second sub-target.
This open access book addresses the practical challenges that Industry 4.0 presents for SMEs. While large companies are already responding to the changes resulting from the fourth industrial revolution , small businesses are in danger of falling behind due to the lack of examples, best practices and established methods and tools.
Following on from the publication of the previous book ‘Industry 4.0 for SMEs: Challenges, Opportunities and Requirements’, the authors offer in this new book innovative results from research on smart manufacturing, smart logistics and managerial models for SMEs. Based on a large scale EU-funded research project involving seven academic institutions from three continents and a network of over fifty small and medium sized enterprises, the book reveals the methods and tools required to support the successful implementation of Industry 4.0 along with practical examples.
Dominik T. Matt holds the Chair for Production Systems and Technologies and heads the research department "Industrial Engineering and Automation (IEA)" at the Faculty of Science and Technology at the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano (Italy). Further he is the Director of Fraunhofer Italia Research in Bolzano. His research focuses on Industry 4.0 and smart factories, the adoption of artificial intelligence in manufacturing as well as the digital transformation of industrial companies. Vladimír Modrák is Full Professor of Manufacturing Technology at Technical University of Kosice, Slovakia. He obtained his PhD at the same University in 1989. His research interests include cellular manufacturing design, mass customized manufacturing and planning/scheduling optimization. He is a Fellow of the European Academy for Industrial Management (AIM) since 2015.
Helmut Zsifkovits is Professor of Industrial Logistics at Montanuniversitaet Leoben, Austria. He graduated from the University of Graz, Austria. His research interests include logistics systems engineering, supply chain strategy and operations management. He has teaching assignments at universities in Austria, Latvia, Colombia, and Germany, and professional experience in automotive industry, logistics consultancy and IT. In 2020, he was elected the president of the European Certification Board for Logistics (ECBL).
Purpose - There has been much research on manufacturing flexibility, but supply chain flexibility is still an under-investigated area. This paper focuses on supply flexibility, the aspects of flexibility related to the upstream supply chain. Our purpose is to investigate why and how firms increase supply flexibility. Methodology/Approach - An exploratory multiple case study was conducted. We analyzed seven Spanish manufacturers from different sectors (automotive, apparel, electronics and electrical equipment). Findings - The results show that there are some major reasons why firms need supply flexibility (manufacturing schedule fluctuations, JIT purchasing, manufacturing slack capacity, low level of parts commonality, demand volatility, demand seasonality and forecast accuracy), and that companies increase this type of flexibility by implementing two main strategies: "to increase suppliers' responsiveness capability" and "flexible sourcing". The results also suggest that the supply flexibility strategy selected depends on two factors: the supplier searching and switching costs and the type of uncertainty (mix, volume or delivery). Research limitations - This paper has some limitations common to all case studies, such as the subjectivity of the analysis, and the questionable generalizability of results (since the sample of firms is not statistically significant). Implications - Our study contributes to the existing literature by empirically investigating which are the main reasons for companies needing to increase supply flexibility, how they increase this flexibility, and suggesting some factors that could influence the selection of a particular supply flexibility strategy.
In this chapter a recent approach is described which utilizes the Unified Modeling Language (UML) within the automotive specific systems development. In particular it presents the Automotive Modeling Language (AML), a modeling language tailored to the development needs of automotive embedded systems. A focus is set on the definition of a metamodel for the AML, as well as on a system of abstraction levels, and on a tight integration between requirements engineering and model-based descriptions. Furthermore the concrete AML representation is given by a concrete UML subset, which is called “Automotive UML”. The application of the introduced language concepts is illustrated by means of a realistic case study from the automotive domain.
The paper deals with a review of a complex IPS-DFA methodology with a purpose of rating and improving design characteristics regarding the aspect of the assembly process. The approach has to be applied at the level of the product assortment, basic product structure and at the component level, aiming to achieve two primary goals: rationalization of the part count and the optimization of handling and fitting parts, through the developed tools for assembly suitability enhancement. Comprehensiveness of the methodology, especially at the product assortment level, simultaneously enables increasing suitability for mass customization. The paper provides an insight into the results of circular pumps product family application with a special emphasis on the consequences concerning mass customization. (c) 2008 Journal of Mechanical Engineering. All rights reserved.