Operations Management: Processes and Supply Chains, 12th Edition

Mass Customization

A firm’s supply chain must be capable of addressing certain competitive priorities that will win orders from customers. Often customers want more than a wide selection of standard services or products; they want a personalized service or product and they want it fast. For example, suppose you want to paint your living room a new color. You need to complement all of the existing furnishings, wall decorations, and carpet. You go to your local paint retail store and select a color from a stack of books that spans every color of the rainbow. The store can give you all the paint you need in your selected color while you wait. How can the store provide that service economically? Certainly the store cannot stock thousands of colors ...