The garment
industry is industry that forerunners in the application of mass customization.
The reason behind this development can be seen in the fact that clothes offer
the potential to all three possible dimensions of customization: fit (shape,
measurements and size), functionality and aesthetic design (taste, forms).
Mass customization strategies can be used at any of these 5 stages in
the production process:
1. Customer Involvement at the Design and Pattern
Stage
The examples of developing systems
which are present on the world market (Optitex, Gerber, Lectra, Investronika, Assyst)
allow taking all variations of future garment into consideration. Their
behaviour is simulated, their impact on the environment is analyzed, and
simultaneous design is used aiming to obtain the best solution in the given
conditions which reduce subsequent changes (correction model design,
adjustments to fit in cutting layout for basic and supplementary material) to a
minimum.
Creating a prototype model for industrial
production in the formation of products in the clothing industry involves the
development of CAD methods for the preparation of construction segments. The
number of possible variations in colour, shape and design, modelling and
re-modelling of garment is almost unlimited.
2. Customer
Involvement in Production Planning
Mass Customization
strategies at the Production Planning stage and later at the Point-of-Sale
(POS) stage are enabled by electronic links among the departments of an apparel
producer and between the producer and its customers. Garment producers
traditionally operated on a few week production cycles, from design and
ordering fabric to customer delivery. Mass customization can increase
competitiveness by shortening this production time through production planning
strategies.
3.
Customer Involvement at the Assembly Stage
Garment customers can become involved in mass customization at the
manufacturing stage if they want to repeat an order in a small quantity or with
new fabrics. These small lot orders could take the form of basic styles that
are reordered each year or during the season with new and well-received colours
and fabrics or slight style modifications. Flexible manufacturing strategies
such as modular manufacturing increase the efficiency of small order
production.
4. Customer Involvement in Distribution
Mass customizing
the delivery of garment produce could revolutionize retailing by changing its
basic assumptions. Rather than assuming and planning for markdowns halfway
through a selling season, retailers order a small portion of each season’s
order and use consumer sales to decide which styles need to be reordered and in
what sizes and colours.
5. Customer Involvement after the Purchase
Post-purchase adjustments can be built into the product for customers to
do it themselves.
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