Summary
Modularity is often considered as the major enabler of mass- customization. This paper introduces modularity in three business dimensions: products, processes and supply chains. The different aspects and opportunities of three-dimensional modularity are investigated in relation to successful mass- customization strategies. The central proposition of this paper is that a network of organizations will be more effective in pursuing a mass-customization strategy when all three dimensions are concurrently designed in a modular fashion. This proposition is validated within the Dutch house building industry, which is currently trying to mass-customize its products. In particular, we focus on an innovative project, called Dwelling on Demand, which is carried out in the city of Almere. This project is one of the first steps the Dutch housing industry takes towards more customer-influence on a serial basis. It is concluded from this project that a concurrent design in all three dimensions often leads to better mass- customization performances, while it assures a better fit between serving the customers’ requirements and the organizational network structure and capabilities.
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Wolters, M.J.J., van Heck, E., Vervest, P.H.M. (2002). Modularity in Three Dimensions: A Study of Mass Customization in the Dutch House Building Industry. In: Rautenstrauch, C., Seelmann-Eggebert, R., Turowski, K. (eds) Moving into Mass Customization. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-56192-4_13
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-56192-4_13
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