Social informatics of intelligent manufacturing ecosystems: A case study of KuteSmart

Intelligent manufacturing involves developing a vertically and horizontally connected manufacturing system that allows efficient mass customization. Research has mainly focused on connections between information technology and manufacturing equipment in a cyber-physical system. This case study analyses major changes in the development of an intelligent manufacturing ecosystem by a traditional manufacturer that connects customers to manufactories for the mass customization of suits. Findings highlight the importance of social informatics, that is, connections that involve technology, as well as people, organizations, and their activities, and show how they are enabled by experience-based knowledge. They indicate key connections accounting for social and institutional milieus that should be studied in further research, for a more complete understanding of the successful implementation of intelligent manufacturing.