Mass customization is a business strategy, which seeks to satisfy customer's
unique requirements and at the same time capitalize on the low cost efficiencies
associated with the techniques of mass production (Coronado et al., 2004). Current trends in customer expectations and increased global competition is making mass
customization a necessity for some industries (Kotha, 1995; and Duray, 1997). If customization
is carried out in a manner that drastically reduces operating efficiency and raises cost,
it creates a distinct disadvantage for the supplier. This may be acceptable for a
craft manufacturer that produces low volume customized products at high prices, but
it does not satisfy the definition of mass customization (Karlsson, 2002; and
MacCarthy, 2003). In a true mass customization environment, products and processes are
designed to allow customization with minimal added time, effort, and cost. A
fundamental operational question that must be answered when considering mass customization
is: At what process step in manufacturing should customization take place? Analysis
and classification of manufacturing processes as flexible or inflexible can help answer
this question (Anderson, 2003). Flexibility is considered a crucial attribute to be
competitive in a turbulent marketplace (Upton, 1994). Business managers must develop
metrics that accurately assess an organization's performance (Youngblood and Collins,
2003). A quantifiable index is needed to help decision makers classify processes as
flexible or inflexible. This classification will help dictate the appropriate design strategy
for each process. This research develops an index that provides a quantifiable measure
of process flexibility. The index is used to guide the design strategy associated with
the process. This technique is illustrated in this paper using the processes to
manufacture an electric motor endplate.
Several authors have discussed the role of flexibility in manufacturing processes
(Hyun and Ahn, 1992; Vokurka and O'Leary-Kelly 2000; and Aprile et al., 2005).
A manufacturing process that is capable of managing rapid product changes
without disruptions to the operation is poised to compete in markets where satisfying
unique customer driven requirements is essential (Anderson, 2003). Processes
characterized by hard tooling or long setup times are not good targets for customization
operations. Products from these inflexible processes should be designed in such a manner
that they are versatile for many different end applications. This may be achieved by
a product that can be used `as-is' in various applications, or a product that has
built-in features that can be altered at subsequent operations to make it reconfigurable.
Some experts suggest that the level of modularity of a product may be its most
important feature (Ulrich and Eppinger, 1995). Examples of inflexible processes are
injection molding, casting, stamping and extruding. |
