Production Scheduling of Personalized Fashion Goods in a Mass Customization Environment

Jens K. Perret, Katharina Schuck and Carolin Hitzegrad
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Jens K. Perret: International School of Management, Im MediaPark 5c, 50670 Cologne, Germany
Katharina Schuck: IQS School of Management, Universitat Ramon Llull, Via Augusta 390, 08017 Barcelona, Spain
Carolin Hitzegrad: CBS International Business School, Hardefuststraße 1, 50677 Cologne, Germany

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 1, 1-15

Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic has put fashion manufacturers’ needs for optimization in the spotlight. This study argues that mass customization is becoming increasingly instrumental for offering consumers individualized solutions and that suppliers of fashion have to look for more sophisticated solutions in order to face the increasing demand for more sustainable products. With the deduction of a mathematical model derived from production sequencing it became evident that sustainability can be associated with a level production schedule and that cost-based production optimization is useful in achieving holistic sustainability in the fashion industry. The flexibility in the conceived mathematical model specifications allows for a generalizable approach, not limited to a single branch of the fashion industry. This paper additionally delivers a cost-based optimization approach which fashion companies, operating in a mass customization production layout, can easily implement without extensive know-how. The proposed two-stage algorithm is based on the concept of level scheduling. In a first stage, the algorithm determines a feasible production sequence in a time-efficient way while, in the second stage, it further advances the efficiency of the solution. Thus, it offers a framework to optimize a production in a mass customization environment and can contribute to a company taking major steps towards a holistic sustainable orientation as available resources are used more (cost) efficiently.

Keywords: mass customization; optimization; algorithm; production scheduling; fashion production; level scheduling (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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