**3. Mass customization characteristics**

#### **3.1 Economics**

Customization differs from personalization. Personalization is the identification of a product by the manufacturer based on consumer profile so that it is likely to be unique. Customization involves consumers selecting from a given set of product options so uniqueness is unlikely.

Mass customization aims to produce customised products for individual needs with mass production efficiency. To be successful, manufacturers of mass customised products need to be flexible and quick in responding to market conditions. Although mass customization provides more choice than mass production, the manufacturer retains control over what is produced in contrast to mass imagineering [16].

The 'pull' system drives mass customization. Digital infrastructures may facilitate co-creation via platforms and/or participation in events [17]. However, mass customization faces the challenges of overcoming the convenience of massproduced products [18], avoiding consumer confusion and overload from overwhelming choice [19], and individuals not confident about their creative abilities. It may not be a viable business model for all industries [20].

Mass customization requires different control systems for manufacturing operations than mass production. Such control systems need to cope with large varieties, very small batch size, random arrival of orders and spread due dates. Usually, the number of variants is predetermined; benefits in increased efficiency and reduced lead times may be related to the further downstream the customization order point is in the value chain [21, 22].

Flexible production technology, e-commerce and information communication technology enable easier customization at lower cost. Flexible logistics and distribution systems are also required. Close proximity to a supplier network of raw materials is important [23]. Information dissemination encompassing operations flows and customer knowledge may be the most important factor in implementing mass customization [24].

#### **3.2 Workforce**

Technology and operational systems may facilitate certain customization, but workforce characteristics are important to the development of strategic capabilities [25].

**67**

*A Sustainability Assessment of Smart Innovations for Mass Production, Mass Customisation…*

Workers must not only be proficient in their own jobs, but they should be able to integrate and coordinate across functions. In addition, multiple capabilities may be required of manufacturing resources (workers, robots, machines, workstations, etc.) [21]. Depending on the tasks, workers may still develop RSI, but the cause may be more difficult to identify. Similarly, it will be more difficult to establish correlation for other production related effects on health such as exposure to hazardous

Motivation is important so that employees engage in desirable behaviours [26] such as knowledge exchange and combination (KEC) [27] and positive emotions regarding customers [28]. Workers need to perform reliably as in mass production, but also cooperate with external functions to ensure compatibility of components and their integration [29]. Depending on the level of customization, being flexible,

Consistent with total quality management (TQM), workers should have autonomy to make decisions regarding their tasks [30]. Task empowerment provides job

Mass customization may benefit from reduced returns and reduced inventory over mass production as more consumer desires are satisfied. Mass customization may be realised in any of the production process steps including design, fabrication,

Both mass production and mass customization may be modular, but modularity is a key enabler of efficient mass customization [4]. However, it is likely that more material resources will be necessary to make mass customised products compared to mass produced products since it is not possible to optimise modular products with

Mass customization requires greater process flexibility compared to mass production due to greater product variety and subsequent process variety [33]. These different manufacturing processes compared to uniform production are consequently difficult to optimise with respect to energy and material consumption. On the product level, mass customised products may not be as easy to optimise for energy consumption as mass produced products. On the other hand, companies may invest in modules standardised across multiple products to potentially achieve

Mass customised products are likely to be traceable back to a specific customer. This would make it easier to locate products at their end of life. However, end of life mass customised products may not fit another consumer's requirements, making them more difficult to reuse in original form unless the product is designed to be

It may be more difficult to determine if mass customised products, or which of their components, have negative environmental or health consequences. This may delay product recalls and other actions aimed at mitigation. An example is e-cigarette devices wherein the characteristics of the heating coils and atomizer may be customised by the users, each component may affect health outcomes independently, and components may interact to create effects different from the sum of

If a customised product is not suitable for reuse, the next consideration is to service or repair it. Custom fabricated components may not make it possible to remanufacture products. The variety of parts in a customised product may make it more difficult to service or replace them. A custom fabricated component is likely to be more expensive to replace than using standard components in a

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.88897*

substances due to task and equipment variety.

**3.3 Environment**

assembly or distribution [31].

proactive and learning-oriented may also be required [25].

enrichment and improves motivation and retention [29].

regards to weight and thereby material usage [32].

greater energy efficiency than mass produced products.

re-configurable or re-personalised [34].

their individual parts [35].

#### *A Sustainability Assessment of Smart Innovations for Mass Production, Mass Customisation… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.88897*

Workers must not only be proficient in their own jobs, but they should be able to integrate and coordinate across functions. In addition, multiple capabilities may be required of manufacturing resources (workers, robots, machines, workstations, etc.) [21].

Depending on the tasks, workers may still develop RSI, but the cause may be more difficult to identify. Similarly, it will be more difficult to establish correlation for other production related effects on health such as exposure to hazardous substances due to task and equipment variety.

Motivation is important so that employees engage in desirable behaviours [26] such as knowledge exchange and combination (KEC) [27] and positive emotions regarding customers [28]. Workers need to perform reliably as in mass production, but also cooperate with external functions to ensure compatibility of components and their integration [29]. Depending on the level of customization, being flexible, proactive and learning-oriented may also be required [25].

Consistent with total quality management (TQM), workers should have autonomy to make decisions regarding their tasks [30]. Task empowerment provides job enrichment and improves motivation and retention [29].

### **3.3 Environment**

*Mass Production Processes*

tions in dealing with faults.

**2.3 Environment**

**3.1 Economics**

imagineering [16].

is in the value chain [21, 22].

mass customization [24].

**3.2 Workforce**

measures such as scrap rates [15].

**3. Mass customization characteristics**

options so uniqueness is unlikely.

manufacturing relies on operators with vocational training having an understanding of the process so that proactive measures may be applied to complex interac-

to ensure reliability and efficiency. This may be evaluated quantifiably using

Mass production utilises less resources than mass customization, but may contribute to greater waste as consumer needs may not be completely satisfied. The consumers are generally anonymous and hence it is not possible to track products for recycling or remanufacture. End-of-life (EOL) strategies for products that are recovered are likely to be easier to apply due to the uniformity of the products.

Customization differs from personalization. Personalization is the identification of a product by the manufacturer based on consumer profile so that it is likely to be unique. Customization involves consumers selecting from a given set of product

Mass customization aims to produce customised products for individual needs with mass production efficiency. To be successful, manufacturers of mass customised products need to be flexible and quick in responding to market conditions. Although mass customization provides more choice than mass production, the manufacturer retains control over what is produced in contrast to mass

The 'pull' system drives mass customization. Digital infrastructures may facilitate co-creation via platforms and/or participation in events [17]. However, mass customization faces the challenges of overcoming the convenience of massproduced products [18], avoiding consumer confusion and overload from overwhelming choice [19], and individuals not confident about their creative abilities. It

Mass customization requires different control systems for manufacturing operations than mass production. Such control systems need to cope with large varieties, very small batch size, random arrival of orders and spread due dates. Usually, the number of variants is predetermined; benefits in increased efficiency and reduced lead times may be related to the further downstream the customization order point

Flexible production technology, e-commerce and information communication technology enable easier customization at lower cost. Flexible logistics and distribution systems are also required. Close proximity to a supplier network of raw materials is important [23]. Information dissemination encompassing operations flows and customer knowledge may be the most important factor in implementing

Technology and operational systems may facilitate certain customization, but workforce characteristics are important to the development of strategic capabilities [25].

may not be a viable business model for all industries [20].

Workers in mass production are motivated to focus on functional performance

**66**

Mass customization may benefit from reduced returns and reduced inventory over mass production as more consumer desires are satisfied. Mass customization may be realised in any of the production process steps including design, fabrication, assembly or distribution [31].

Both mass production and mass customization may be modular, but modularity is a key enabler of efficient mass customization [4]. However, it is likely that more material resources will be necessary to make mass customised products compared to mass produced products since it is not possible to optimise modular products with regards to weight and thereby material usage [32].

Mass customization requires greater process flexibility compared to mass production due to greater product variety and subsequent process variety [33]. These different manufacturing processes compared to uniform production are consequently difficult to optimise with respect to energy and material consumption. On the product level, mass customised products may not be as easy to optimise for energy consumption as mass produced products. On the other hand, companies may invest in modules standardised across multiple products to potentially achieve greater energy efficiency than mass produced products.

Mass customised products are likely to be traceable back to a specific customer. This would make it easier to locate products at their end of life. However, end of life mass customised products may not fit another consumer's requirements, making them more difficult to reuse in original form unless the product is designed to be re-configurable or re-personalised [34].

It may be more difficult to determine if mass customised products, or which of their components, have negative environmental or health consequences. This may delay product recalls and other actions aimed at mitigation. An example is e-cigarette devices wherein the characteristics of the heating coils and atomizer may be customised by the users, each component may affect health outcomes independently, and components may interact to create effects different from the sum of their individual parts [35].

If a customised product is not suitable for reuse, the next consideration is to service or repair it. Custom fabricated components may not make it possible to remanufacture products. The variety of parts in a customised product may make it more difficult to service or replace them. A custom fabricated component is likely to be more expensive to replace than using standard components in a

customised product. If the mass customised product is not self-reconfiguring and does not contain custom fabricated components, remanufacturing is a good EOL strategy.

The modularity of customised products would likely make them more amenable to upgrading than mass-produced products that do not have this modularity. Modularity would also assist with remanufacturing and recycling. Modular mass customised products may be easier to disassemble than mass produced products that are not modular. Modular product architecture may improve recyclability if it is possible to concentrate material fractions by module.

If a modular design is standardised across multiple products, considerations of material usage and end of life are likely to be issues of concern. If a modular design is assumed but cannot be standardised across multiple products, the most pressing environmental consideration for the manufacturer of mass customised products is likely to be process efficiency.
