Implementing Mass Customization Using SAP Variant Configuration and a 3D Printer

The process of manufacturing customized products at the efficiency of mass production is called mass customization manufacturing. In order to implement mass customization a product configurator, a well-planned configurable product platform and a flexible manufacturing technology are essential. As 3D printers are becoming more and more popular it is evident that they act as very flexible factories that could manufacture any object. This thesis tries to find out how 3D printers and product configurators could be combined to implement mass customization manufacturing. The system created in this thesis manufactures configurable motorcycles whose configuration model is maintained in SAP-ERP system. A product configurator built using SAP Variant configuration allows the user to configure a variant of the motorcycle according to their needs using the configuration model. This configured variant is manufactured using a 3D printer. Qualitative methods are used to gain knowledge and understanding about mass customization and SAP Variant configuration from books, scientific articles and software development forums. Using this knowledge the system is implemented which could manufacture approximately 23 different types of motorcycles customized by the user. The users who configure and manufacture the motorcycles also get hands-on knowledge about basic business processes in SAP ERP related to production planning (PP) and logistics (LO) modules and understand how information flows in the ERP system with respect to mass customized manufacturing.fi=Opinnäytetyö kokotekstinä PDF-muodossa.|en=Thesis fulltext in PDF format.|sv=Lärdomsprov tillgängligt som fulltext i PDF-format

Modular product development for mass customization

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Product Configuration with Bayesian Network

For the satisfaction of individual customer requirements, products with many options are offered in mass customization. However, in the area of ecommerce, the large number of possible product configurations can overwhelm the customer, as he or she is not supported by a human sales expert. To minimize the customer’s overload, this paper examines the combination of a knowledge-based product configurator with an upstream probabilistic recommender system to provide a quick, individual and dynamic initial orientation for the customer. The application of the approach is demonstrated using an example from engineering design

Users' social-interaction needs while shopping via online sales configurators

The growing adoption of social web technologies such as social software (SSW) in online configuration environments has enabled the possibility of supporting configurator users in interacting digitally with real people while they are shopping for customized products. Previous research has identified that online sales configurators (OSCs) are currently connected to SSW with different modalities to provide configurator users with a variety of options to digitally interact with real people. Enriching the configuration environment with social-interaction tools has engendered the phenomenon of social-product customization. Recent studies considered the social product-customization by investigating the impact that community feedback and social comparisons has on configurator user. However, the OSCs users' need to interact with different referents during their configuration process, and whether the SSW-OSCs connections respond to this need are still unsearched. To address this gap, the present study explores (a) whether users experience the need to interact with different referents while shopping via OSCs and (b) which interaction modalities users are looking for. By considering 943 configuration experiences from 189 users of 378 OSCs for various consumer goods, the present study finds that the need for social interaction by OSC users is highly relevant. Moreover, OSC users perceive the need to interact with different referents during different stages of the configuration process, and, depending on the referent with whom they wish to interact, they are interested in different interaction modalities in terms of how and where those interactions take place. These findings imply that mass customizers may leverage their customers' need to interact with real people while shopping online via OSCs in order to better engage their actual and potential customers

ASSESSING PRODUCT CONFIGURATOR CAPABILITIES FOR SUCCESSFUL MASS CUSTOMIZATION

Mass customization is becoming a competitive strategy for companies offering individualized products. Product configurators provide a platform for companies to do interactive product configuration which is essential for mass customization. Companies need to realize the degree of customization appreciated by the customers and the extent of customization that can be offered competitively. This research is an effort to develop an approach to ascertain the product configurator requirements to achieve mass customization. The frameworks developed for this research are validated with a case study

The Impact of Information Technology on Mass Customization

Increasingly, companies are adopting mass customization as a business strategy to meet increasing customer demand for product variety to help compete in the global marketplace. This paper examines the effects and impacts of Information Technology (LT) on mass customization and how various IT tools are used as customizing mediums to enable mass customization and provide unique value to customers in the most efficient way possible. Examples are drawn from companies who leveraged IT technologies in their mass customization efforts. Recognizing the critical value of technology professionals, this paper further discusses IT professionals\u27 roles and how they are an integral part of the mass customization decision process. Additionally, some of the challenges that companies face when attempting to adopt Information Technology as an instrument to enable mass customization are examined. In this process, some possible solutions to these challenges are explored. Finally, some of the benefits and outcome of mass customization are discussed

Learning from the Proposal Process used by Businesses to Sell Customer Solutions.

This document presents a review of the practices and tools that are used in other (non-aerospace) industries, for the purpose of identifying best practices that might also be employed in the rapid generation of a proposal for aero engine products and services. Addressing the customer’s perception of value, and its delivery process, this has implications for much of the activity conducted within VIVACE Work Package 2.