Managing Production for Mass Customized Manufacturing – Case Studies

Mass, customised production is a strategy, dictated by the need to dynamically and quickly meet customer requirements. Industry 4.0 (I4.0) technologies can be an excellent tool to support the management and workflow of an enterprise, operating according to mass-customisation strategy. Therefore, this paper provides an analysis as to how a manufacturing company can be managed when operating according to mass-customisation strategy having introduced I4.0 technologies; this detailed analysis of the literature is provided particularly in order to understand the possibilities of increasing the efficiency of such production, due to the implementation of I4.0 technology. An innovative approach to assessing the influence of selected I4.0 technologies on the efficiency of mass customised production, in relation to the Customer–Product–Process–Resource (CPPR) framework is proposed, in addition. The concept presented is oriented towards the practical application and is illustrated by a real-life case study of two, selected, European, automotive industry manufacturing companies. The results of in-depth interviews with managers made it possible to build a tool for further survey research in European companies, regarding the management of mass customised production, in relation to the implementation of I4.0 technologies.