A methodology for managing complexity within a MC environment

Today, it is essential that manufacturing companies prepare themselves to use the concept of Mass Customization. MC is to offer products that satisfy the customer needs in a timely manner at low cost and high quality. In addition, companies have to overcome the dynamic and heterogeneous nature of customer needs. There is a risk associated with adding variety to the production system in which will increase the manufacturing cost due to the increase of the manufacturing complexity. Companies should balance the tradeoff between the profits and the cost of adding variety. In order to achieve this balance they need to consider all the stages of product life cycle. This article will present the results of an on-going research on the impact of manufacturing complexity due to product variety at the Jeep division of DaimlerChrysler. A model is purposed and developed to assist in analyzing and mitigating risks associated with manufacturing complexity.