大规模定制是一个公司能力产生一种高度的定制，以向不同客户的需求定制产品的高量生产。在文章中的CIO，埃里克Torbenson说，“大规模定制与客户建立关系，使公司迅速作出不断变化的需求反馈循环。”根据业务的竞争优势管理，有三种有效的大规模定制方案的基本原则。三个原则是：1）产品应具有可以很容易地在最终产品中改变不同的模块。 2）流程设计应为各个独立的模块容易重排，以支持不同的分销网络设计。 3）供应网络的设计提供，其中包括有能力提供基本的产品到哪里，最后采取定制具有成本效益的方式，并能够灵活个别客户订单的地方，该产品还提供多种功能速度和效率。代写留学生论文1) Mass customization is the ability of a company to produce a high quantity of products that are highly customized to tailor to different customers needs. In the article in CIO, Eric Torbenson says that “mass customization creates a feedback loop with customers that enable a company to react quickly to changing demand.” According to Operations Management for Competitive Advantage, there are three basic principles of an effective mass customization program. The three principles that are mentioned: 1) A product should have different modules that can be easily changed in the final product. 2) Processes should be designed for the easy rearrangement of various independent modules to support different distribution network designs. 3) The supply network is designed to provide multiple capabilities that include the ability to deliver the basic product to the where the final customization is taking place in a cost-effective manner and the ability to be flexible to individual customer orders and still deliver the product quickly and efficiently.
2) There is a significant difference between mass customization, mass production and customization. Mass customization allows a company to produce mass volumes of basic products and then customize the products to the needs of the customer. This is very cost-effective and it also allows the customer to receive what they desire. For instance, Dell Computers use mass customization in their production method and has been very successful and competitive in their market. First, they build computers at their basic production; next they receive a customary order to assemble the parts into the computer that the customer has requested. With this sort of specialized service, Dell has gained direct correlation with their customers and maintains feedback from them as well. An additional benefit to this method would be the reduction of inventory. By storing and maintaining inventory, additional costs are incurred. With mass customization, inventory can be reduced by ordering supplies and components on demand (www.cio.com).
Mass production is a company producing mass quantities of one particular product and rejects variation in the product. When Ford had built their Model T using mass production, they were able to produce thousands of Model Ts that were practically identical. Finding the Model T in a color other than black was merely impossible. Mass production was an effective method to produce high volume at low cost, but it appears that mass customization seems to be the prevailing trend for the millennium (www.webcom.com).
Pure customization is different in that the company builds every product according to the needs and changes of the particular customer order. This method is slow and inefficient because a company only produces a particular product at a limited quantity and the entire specs of the product is custom tailored by the customer. These products tend to be highly expensive due to the level of customization and take more time to construct.
3) Technology has made it easier for the use of mass customization. Technology simply creates faster communication and convenience for consumers. By combining technology and mass customization, this helps establish the customer’s needs and wants via Internet. For example, Internet access has allowed consumers to browse on the web and have easy access to search for a variety of products and services. This has enabled consumers to customize potential orders by permitting made to order options on the companies’ websites. The Internet has become a fundamental tool for consumers to personalize their orders. With a few simple clicks, customers are able to choose a variety of options, and select the desired features for the product output (www.businessweek.com). For example, Mitsubishi.com allows users to select customary options such as model type, interior option, exterior option, and price range.
4) The use of mass customization is swiftly emerging in the service and manufacturing industry. An example of the application of mass customization can be seen in the music industry. In the past, music CDs were mass produced while at the same time, consumers were not left with the option to customize their CDs. Today, mass customization has given birth to the concept of “Digital on Demand” in the music industry. Music tracks are downloaded through high speed networks and are printed on to CDs, DVDs, and minidisks according to the customer’s preference. This potentiality offers greater variety and customization compared to regular music retail stores like Warehouse Music and Sam Goodie’s. For instance, a customer can create a CD that has older titles and out of print recordings.
An online company that provides this service is Musicmaker.com. The process begins with a customer selecting compiled tracks that are available in the service’s catalog. The customer then listens to the audio sample on a PC. The customer can create a play list according to their preference. During this time, the customer can save the play list, leave the website and come back at a later time to continue customizing their CD. Once the play list is created, the customer can submit the order and make the necessary payments. Musicmaker.com then makes the customized CD and ships it out to the customer in jewel boxes with made to order labels. This service provides customers the ability to customize the product’s cosmetic appearance, which was not possible to do in the past. This closes the customer’/s sacrifice gap. They are willing to pay for tracks that they want to play and hear. This sort of mass customization also minimizes inventory for music stores.
Another application of mass customization can be observed in the retail industry. This has caused the emergence of “Customized Apparel”. An example of this is the Levi’s Original Spin Program (www.levistrauss.com). This service is available in Levi’s stores and selected department stores. Customers can create customized jeans. The customer gets measured, chooses one of three basic models, picks the leg opening, chooses button fly or zipper, and finally chooses the fabric and color. The customer’s measurements are then emailed to the factory. At the factory, the cloth is laser cut and sewn. The finished product is delivered to the customer within a time span of three weeks. A service like this benefits the customer greatly because they can order exactly what they want, shop at fewer stores and obtain the best value for the product that they are paying for.
5) One of the weaknesses that are found in using the mass customization method is requiring the user to set up the initial process for customization (www.businessweek.com). For example, having the customers “fill out forms, picking choices, standing in scanning booths, and otherwise going through the hassle of helping manufacturers take the guesswork out of serving their needs” (www.businessweek.com). This means that the customer would have to endure tedious activities in order to personalize his/her choices. The solution to this dilemma is to set up a data profile so that it can be easier to track down information without having the customer refilling the forms and going through tiresome trials.
Another weakness is “overwhelming customers with too many choices” (www.ic3d.com). Having too many choices can lead customers confused and may have him/her feel that selecting a product may be difficult. Customers usually know what they like and therefore know what they want to buy. To resolve this, customers should not be given too many options that may lead them puzzling, but rather a limited selection. The limited selection would be based on thorough research and accumulated data derive from either survey or a sample population.
6) The Room Service Department at the Loews Denver Hotel has had to restructure and reengineer its processes in order to offer excellent services. The department has characteristics from each principle of mass customization.
Principle 1: “A product should be designed so it consists of independent modules that can be assembled into different forms of the product easily and inexpensively”
When the room service department gets a call from a room, it knows that it can assemble great numbers of orders to adjust to the guest’s needs. Bread rolls and butter, wine and champagne bottles, mustard, ketchup, mayonnaise and more are all stored separately. This allows Loews to use an assembly line like process to pull together an order. The room service department is located in the kitchen, which makes it easy for the servers to get the hot portion of the order assembled quickly onto the plate and ready to deliver.
Principle 2:
“Process Postponement”
Process postponement is always important in the services that include food. Obviously Loews isn’t going to prepare a set amount of medium rare steaks or a specific number of soups. Rather they will wait for the call and adjust to the customers needs. This process allows the room service department to customize its product to cater to their specific needs. Process postponement also greatly reduces the amount of waste byproduct.
MC
Mass customization is a hybrid of mass production and customization and is defined as “the mass production of individually customized goods and services (Pine, 1993, p. 48) ”.
反对意见代写留学生论文: 有failure
Past failures, such as the Original Spin customized jeans program at Levi Strauss (Malone, 1999) or the Custom Foot Corporation's customized footwear program (Malone, 1998), provide evidence that mass customization of fashion products is not a panacea for business.
(Fiore, A.M., Lee, S. and Kunz, G.(2002), "Individual differences, motivations, and willingness to use a mass customization option for fashion products", European Journal of Marketing, Vol.38 No.7,2004 pp.835-849)