B2C Mass Customization in the Classroom

The purpose of this article is to describe an internet-based mass customization assignment in Operations Management/Supply Chain Management classes where students utilize the Web site of a company that offers a customized product. Students evaluate the user interface, judge the value proposition of the product they demonstrate, and discuss issues of product design, process design and scheduling, inventory management, Supply Chain Management, marketing, and competitors. The students learn about mass customization from both the producer\u27s perspective and the consumer\u27s perspective. Through their own research and the class presentations students are able to develop a better understanding of the implementation requirements and challenges of mass customization. The assignment is highly interactive and has been successfully used in Operations Management and Supply Chain Management courses at under-graduate and graduate levels and at multiple universities. In addition, practitioners interested in implementing a mass customization process can use the assignment as a brainstorming or benchmarking exercise

Sustainable development strategies for product provision and manufacturing approaches

Manufacturing firms are under many pressures both financially and competitive which focus attention on the performance of their manufacturing processes. In this paper the opportunities for improving the environmental impact of products within the constraints of existing manufacturing infrastructure are examined. Approaches which support sustainability in two aspects are proposed, firstly, the provision of products to the users in ways which extend the product life and secondly, manufacturing approaches which reduce resource usage. The provision and manufacture of products in ways that are truly sustainable are inhibited by three issues: firstly, decisions are predominantly made solely from the perspective of the “vendor” (and do not consider the wider perspective); secondly, that generally the scope of business planning is still rooted in production/manufacturing costs (and not consumption costs) and thirdly, the current performance measures (e.g. KPIs) mainly focus on profitability. The rationale for this conference paper is the argument that there is a need to raise the awareness during the earliest stages of business planning that there may be alternative approaches which are more sustainable. The concepts presented here will underpin further research into performance measures which encompass sustainability and resulting business planning implications

Industry 4.0 and the future of manufacturing. Theoretical base and empirical analyses

A new industrial revolution \u2013 also called \u201cIndustry 4.0\u201d \u2013 is unfolding fueled by the introduction of broadly interconnected digital technologies, including the Internet of Things, cloud computing, artificial intelligence and additive manufacturing. Many industries are witnessing the entrance of new players integrating new technologies into disruptive business models; incumbents are also urged to rethink how they operate against trends that are expected to further accelerate in the current pandemic situation. The overarching aim of the research presented in this doctoral dissertation is to investigate to what extent Industry 4.0 represents a fundamental challenge to existing paradigms and requires researchers to modify their theoretical frameworks to approach emerging issues. With this in mind, each chapter can be seen as a step forward in journey whereby some core issues come progressively into focus. The starting point is a conceptual work analyzing the phenomenon \u2013 \u201cIndustry 4.0\u201d and similar labels \u2013 and its underlying technological and non-technological components. As a second step \u2013 under the assumption of Industry 4.0 having paradigmatic properties comparable to previous industrial revolutions \u2013 potential new configurations of manufacturing value chains are investigated. Through a future-oriented expert study, eight scenarios are conceived identifying critical drivers to value chain configurations. Finally, one of these critical drivers \u2013 data sharing in inter-organizational relationships \uac\u2013 is investigated through the development of a multiple case study analysis in the automotive sector. The contribution of this dissertation to the academic debate is at least twofold. On the one hand, the research highlights the cornerstones of the phenomenon to make sense of its overarching features and building elements. This contributes to lay solid theoretical foundations needed to advance the understanding in the field. On the other hand, my empirical investigations suggest that several barriers counterbalance the technological drivers for change, posing significant questions as for when and how the future of manufacturing will materialize. Overall, an approach focused on understanding how technologies influence the assumptions behind the current reasoning might lead at a synthesis between \u201cold\u201d and \u201cnew\u201d elements in the Industry 4.0 phenomenon

Fashion Industry

Fashion is a lot more than providing an answer to primary needs. It is a way of communication, of distinction, of proclaiming a unique taste and expressing the belonging to a group. Sometimes to an exclusive group. Currently, the fashion industry is moving towards hyperspace, to a multidimensional world that is springing from the integration of smart textiles and wearable technologies. It is far beyond aesthetics. New properties of smart textiles let designers experiment with astonishing forms and expressions. There are also surprising contrasts and challenges: a new life for natural fibers, sustainable fabrics and dyeing techniques, rediscovered by eco-fashion, and "artificial apparel," made of wearable electronic components. How is this revolution affecting the strategies of the fashion industry

The future of manufacturing: A Delphi-based scenario analysis on Industry 4.0

Industry 4.0 is expected to impart profound changes to the configuration of manufacturing companies with regards to what their value proposition will be and how their production network, supplier base and customer interfaces will develop. The literature on the topic is still fragmented; the features of the emerging paradigm appear to be a contested territory among different academic disciplines. This study assumes a value chain perspective to analyze the evolutionary trajectories of manufacturing companies. We developed a Delphi-based scenario analysis involving 76 experts from academia and practice. The results highlight the most common expectations as well as controversial issues in terms of emerging business models, size, barriers to entry, vertical integration, rent distribution, and geographical location of activities. Eight scenarios provide a concise outlook on the range of possible futures. These scenarios are based on four main drivers which stem from the experts\u2019 comments: demand characteristics, transparency of data among value chain participants, maturity of additive manufacturing and advanced robotics, and penetration of smart products. Researchers can derive from our study a series of hypotheses and opportunities for future research on Industry 4.0. Managers and policymakers can leverage the scenarios in long-term strategic planning

On fit uncertainty-reducing interventions in retail supply chains

Fit uncertainty is used in this doctoral thesis to describe the customer’s experience of uncertainty about the physical fit of a product when shopping for experience goods. Experience goods are products whose attributes are difficult to ascertain without physical examination. In online retailing, the ability to provide experiential fit information is limited, which poses product flow and inventory challenges for supply chains, including product returns, lost sales, and obsolescence. Thus, product fitting is a critical pre-sales activity for customers to successfully purchase fit-dependent products, and retailers must facilitate the fitting activity in order to reduce unnecessary product handling. To foster improved performance for retail supply chains of experience goods subject to fit uncertainty, this doctoral thesis sets out to explore the effects of fit uncertainty and fit uncertainty-reducing interventions on retail supply chain performance. Fit uncertainty-reducing interventions consist of existing digital product fitting and recommendation technologies. The research designs are included in the five appended research papers. Paper I uses a case survey of retail practices to develop a maturity model of digitalization of product fitting, and it proposes supply chain effects for each of the three maturity levels. Paper II uses three cases, design science, and interventionist research to conceptualize digital product fitting as an intervention that improves product flow and reduces lost sales in retail supply chains for experience goods. Paper III uses case research, quantitative analysis of return transactions, test of an intervention, and mathematical modeling to calculate product return costs associated with fit uncertainty in online retailing. Paper IV uses order and return transactions to investigate how online customers shopping for experience goods seek to mitigate fit uncertainty through different order-placing behaviors, and it assesses the cost implications of the behaviors. Paper V uses order and return transactions to explore the effects of an online apparel-fitting intervention on order performance outcomes and fit uncertainty-mitigating ordering tactics. This thesis theorizes fit uncertainty-reducing interventions. The use of these interventions to facilitate the product-fitting activity can reduce fit uncertainty, leading to many benefits for the retail supply chain in terms of product flow, such as fewer returns and more sales. This thesis contributes to previous research on end-customer behaviors by focusing on order and return behaviors associated with fit uncertainty. The quantification of existent order and return behaviors is an important theoretical contribution to our understanding of the direct effects of fit uncertainty on retail supply chain performance. This thesis theoretically contributes to returns management and to inventory and assortment planning management; its practical contribution supports retail supply chains of experience goods that are reconsidering how they handle fit uncertainty and the unwanted effects thereof. This thesis provides hands-on knowledge on how the interventions work in real life and how they improve retail supply chain performance. Studying the link between fit uncertainty and retail supply chain performance is important for retailers and manufacturers\u27 understanding of end-customer behavior and for improving product development and assortment planning to ensure availability of products that fit

World textile: selected peer-reviewed full text papers from the 20th AUTEX World Textile Conference

This volume contains selected papers from the 20th AUTEX World Textile Conference (AUTEX 2021, September 5-9, 2021, Portugal, online). Collected articles present to readers' attention a series of research on actual issues of development of the textile industry and the modern status of fashion design. Particular attention is also devoted to some issues of organisation of textile industry engineers' and fashion designers' education. The presented collection will be helpful for specialists whose activities are related to the textile industry and fashion design

Cultural differences and premium flexibility : the case of The Navigator Company

In a progressively digital and competitive world we live in, it is vital for the companies to objectively evaluate what competences (and not resources) bring them competitive and comparative advantage in the XXI century. Culture is a crucial resource at a country level since it shapes a nation’s character and society. This implies that individuals, who are absorbed by this influence, will transfer it for their organizations, transforming culture in a competence that can be a strong basis for achieving competitive advantage in international environments. In an international context, Portugal will struggle to be competitive in a world of top technology, scale economies and cheap labor of industrialized, emergent and developing countries, respectively. The premium flexibility theory attempts to explain the success of exporting Portuguese companies in B2B segments. Consequently, the main objective of this dissertation is to answer the research question: “How national culture effects competitive advantage on Portuguese companies?” For this purpose, a case study about The Navigator Company was performed in order to understand if the main national dimensions of the premium flexibility theory were verified in a real case context. It is also important to comprehend how do they influence the competitive advantage of The Navigator Company in the pulp sector. The outcomes of this study conclude that, premium flexibility does exist on the case of The Navigator Company, although with several limitations and modifications and that it positively contributes to a better and improved customization, agility of the processes and on a greater efficiency of the flow of information and products.No mundo cada vez mais digital e competitivo em que vivemos, é vital para as empresas avaliarem de forma objetiva quais competências (e não recursos) lhes trazem vantagem competitiva e comparativa no século XXI. A cultura é um recurso crucial ao nível do país, pois molda o caráter e a sociedade de uma nação. Isso implica que os indivíduos, absorvidos por essa influência, a transfiram para suas organizações, transformando a cultura numa competência que pode ser uma base forte para o alcance de vantagem competitiva em ambientes internacionais. Num contexto internacional, Portugal vai lutar para ser competitivo num mundo de tecnologia de ponta, economias de escala e mão-de-obra barata de países industrializados, emergentes e em desenvolvimento, respetivamente. A teoria da flexibilidade premium tenta explicar o sucesso das empresas portuguesas exportadoras nos segmentos B2B. Consequentemente, o objetivo principal desta dissertação é responder à questão de pesquisa: “Como é que a cultura nacional afeta a vantagem competitiva nas empresas portuguesas?” Para o efeito, foi realizado um estudo de caso sobre a The Navigator Company, a fim de perceber se as principais dimensões nacionais da teoria da flexibilidade premium foram verificadas num contexto de caso real. Também é importante compreender de que maneira influenciam a vantagem competitiva da The Navigator Company no setor da celulose. Os resultados deste estudo concluem que a flexibilidade premium exista no caso da The Navigator Company, embora com várias limitações e modificações e que contribui positivamente para uma melhor e melhor customização, agilidade dos processos e uma maior eficiência do fluxo de informações e produtos