Mass customisation

Mass production and personally tailored products are no longer considered opposite ends of the spectrum. The author recounts IBM´s experiences in the days of the commodity PC. Once mass production relied on making all products exactly the same. `Customisation´ is the opposite of this: making a product specifically for the individual customer. `Mass customisation´ is a paradoxical idea that has only become possible with the arrival of modern manufacturing practices, such as just in time and total quality management. The author´s interpretation of the phrase is simply: the process of reflecting very specific and varied customer requirements within a high volume production process without affecting lead time, cost or quality. Customers around the world, and in every conceivable activity, rightly demand more and more from their suppliers-impeccable quality, competitive prices, solutions as opposed to commodities and, of course, responsive and efficient after sales service. The author focuses on IBM´s attempts to meet these demands in the arena of the personal computer