Variety Steering Concept for Mass Customization

Thorsten Blecker, Nizar Abdelkafi, Bernd Kaluza and Gerhard Friedrich

MPRA Paper from University Library of Munich, Germany

Abstract: In this paper we make the distinction between subjective and objective customer needs. The subjective needs are the individually realized and articulated requirements, whereas the objective needs are the real ones perceived by a fictive neutral perspective. We show that variety in mass customization has to be orientated on the objective needs. In order to help mass customizers better evaluate the degree to which they can fulfill the objective needs as well as their internal complexity level we have developed a key metrics system model. We also present a conceptual application showing how to use this model to support decision making related to the introduction or reduction of product variants.

Keywords: Variety Management; Complexity; Production/Operations Management (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D20 L23 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2003
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