Product Modelling for Simulating Business Networks Offering Mass Customization

In the past decade, mass customization has shown to be one of the effective business models in developed economies. Key success factors include modularization and standardization of product platforms, production postponement strategies, and customer interaction. A major challenge is how to implement the success factors and design a suitable business network. One approach is to simulate the performance of a business network with the input of detailed mass customization orders. This paper presents a simulation-based methodology to configure a mass customization network. The contribution of the paper focuses on the approach to create product models that include personalization details, the generation of demand profiles, and the creation of generic process routings for mass customized products. The paper uses examples from the golf club industry to illustrate the methodology.