A process model for designing fuzzy product structures

The strategy of mass customization is a current approach in industrial production, based on e.g. steadily growing pressure of competition, partly saturation of conventional markets, and increasing globalization. Nowadays, customers can easily achieve information on competing products, their quality and prices, and they are no longer limited to local product offers. The approach of mass customization tries to satisfy each customer with his individual designed product and integrates customers in the design process. Furthermore, mass customization claims to roughly keep up with mass produced products in product quality, prices, and delivery time. To meet these demands, it is necessary to adapt conventional product structures, as they do not allow an adequate representation of flexibility. The objective of the here presented work is a methodical support for designing flexible product structures to simplify the specification of explicit products. If such product structures (named product spectra) have been set up, an easier deriving of individual products according to predetermined customer demands gets possible.     «

The strategy of mass customization is a current approach in industrial production, based on e.g. steadily growing pressure of competition, partly saturation of conventional markets, and increasing globalization. Nowadays, customers can easily achieve information on competing products, their quality and prices, and they are no longer limited to local product offers. The approach of mass customization tries to satisfy each customer with his individual designed product and integrates customers in t...     »