Technology is Bringing Mass Customization to Domestic Manufacturing

American consumers love having the power to choose what they buy, and mass customization is making it possible for domestic manufacturers to offer an increasing range of customized options. For instance, California-based car manufacturer Tesla is disrupting the traditional auto dealership by using digital technology to replace car lots with a virtual, customized approach. Buyers can walk into a store with only two vehicles on the sales floor and use a touch screen display to choose the features on their own customized vehicle. The purchase can then be completed on-site or at home using Tesla’s website.

Mass customization has vast implications for the way manufacturing products are produced and sold. Here are some of the latest technologies driving the mass customization manufacturing revolution, how American companies are taking advantage of them and how they’re promoting reshoring of American production.

3-D Scanning and Printing

A McKinsey and Company report has identified seven technologies in two key areas that are currently driving mass customization. One of these is 3-D scanning and modeling. This technology uses scanners to gather three-dimensional information from physical objects and create 3-D virtual models that can be used for manufacturing customized products.

For example, Under Armour used 3-D scanning to create custom shoes for Michael Phelpsthat were exactly fitted to his feet. Nike also used 3-D scanning to make custom spikes for sprinter Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce. In other segments of manufacturing, 3-D scanning with high-precision laser scanners is enabling high-precision quality control of parts in the automotive and aerospace industries. The use of 3-D scanning complements 3-D printing, which is another technology that promotes mass customization. Where 3-D scanning makes it easy to create customized designs, 3-D printing makes it efficient and affordable to produce custom products. For instance, Apple Rubber uses 3-D printing to produce customized o-rings for clients across a broad range of industries.

Other 3-D printing applications include custom clothes, cars and houses. For example, 3-D printing has enabled Caterpillar to save as much as 90 percent on some of its production projects. This is in addition to the savings the company has seen from reshoring its production facilities from China to places such as Victoria, Texas, where the company opened a state-of-the art plant in 2012. Caterpillar hired 225 new employees and expects to increase this to 800.

Recommendation Engines

Another technology that makes mass customization possible is recommendation engines, which prompt customers with personalized offers based on their prior purchase history. This technology is familiar to most customers through Amazon’s recommended purchases feature, but it can be adapted to any industry, including the selling of manufacturing products.

For instance, auto recommendation engine CarZen personalizes the car shopping experience by letting users enter information to generate suggestions and quotes that fit their preferences. Users also can do customized searches based on their own specifications or compare listings. Platforms such as Google Cloud Platform let developers create customized recommendation engines to fit the needs of any industry.

Enterprise and Production Software and Flexible Manufacturing Systems

For businesses that plan to create customized recommendations on efficient production schedules, they require a couple other types of technology. One is enterprise and production software, which enables design features in individual customer orders to be translated into instructions for sourcing and production. For instance, AutoDesk’s Configure One automates the process of configuring, pricing and quoting customized designs. This type of software also gives production staff realistic timetables and alerts to out-of-stock components.

Another production technology that works well in conjunction with 3-D printing is flexible manufacturing systems (FMS). Developed by the automotive industry and since adopted by other industries, this technology uses programmed robots with interchangeable tooling to rapidly and efficiently switch from one product model to another. For example, Ford’s One Manufacturing system lets workers in the same facility work on multiple models on one or multiple platforms, enabling one plant to produce gas, electric and hybrid vehicles. Ford’s adoption of flexible robots has helped support the company’s reshoring initiative, which recently brought 3,250 jobs from Mexico to Michigan and Ohio.

Roy Rasmussen, co-author of "Publishing for Publicity," is a freelance copywriter who helps small businesses get more customers and make more sales. His specialty is helping experts reach their target market with a focused sales message. His most recent projects include books on cloud computing, small business management, sales, and business coaching.