Product Information Management for Mass Customization: Connecting Customer, Front-office and Back-office for Fast and Efficient Customization

✍ Scribed by Cipriani Forza, Fabrizio Salvador

• Year: 2007
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 242
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

Those who have successfully managed product information for mass customization carefully avoid disclosing how these esoteric systems work in practice. This is the first book to provide a holistic recognition of the essential aspects of an IT-supported product configuration system. In doing so, it reveals the basic building blocks of these systems, how they support mass customization, how these systems are selected and implemented, what alternative options there are, and lastly, what the operational and strategic implications of these systems are.

✦ Table of Contents

Cover......Page 1
Contents......Page 8
List of Figures......Page 11
List of Tables......Page 15
List of Cases......Page 16
Preface......Page 18
Reader’s Guide......Page 20
Part I: Product Configuration......Page 22
1.1 The trend towards product proliferation......Page 24
1.2 Search for an ‘efficient’ variety......Page 28
1.3 Variety or customization?......Page 30
1.4 Towards efficient customization: product configuration......Page 33
2.1 Product configuration process......Page 37
2.2 Configuration process sub-tasks......Page 42
2.3 ‘Configurable product’ characteristics......Page 44
2.4 Degrees of configuration......Page 50
3.1 Non-structured approaches......Page 53
3.2 Structured approaches to collecting specifications......Page 56
3.3 Structured approaches to collecting and checking specifications......Page 59
3.4 Dynamic approaches to product configuration......Page 65
3.5 Beyond traditional approaches......Page 68
Part II: Product Configuration Systems......Page 70
4.1 Product configurators architecture......Page 72
4.2 From configurator to configuration system......Page 76
4.3 Moderately automated configuration systems......Page 78
4.4 Highly automated configuration systems......Page 80
4.5 Totally automated configuration systems......Page 82
4.7 Configurators, selectors and meta-configurators......Page 84
5.1 Cognitive complexity and configurable products......Page 88
5.2 Describing the product......Page 92
5.3 Limiting options......Page 95
5.4 Communicating value......Page 98
5.5 Structuring the process of interaction with the customer......Page 100
5.6 Interaction and learning......Page 103
5.7 Putting everything together......Page 105
6.1 Technical description of configurable products......Page 107
6.2 Add-delete bill of materials......Page 111
6.3 Modular bills......Page 113
6.4 Common practice......Page 115
6.5 Technical model and generic bills of material......Page 117
6.6 Unification of product views in the technical model......Page 124
6.7 Criteria for defining the technical model......Page 126
6.8 Links with sales dialogue......Page 129
7.1 Codes......Page 132
7.2 Model used to determine cost......Page 137
7.3 Models used for determining product price......Page 140
7.4 Geometric and graphic models......Page 142
7.5 Other models......Page 145
Part III: Selection and Implementation of a Configurator......Page 146
8.1 Configuration system and Manufacturing Planning and Control System......Page 148
8.2 Configuration systems and Product Data Management systems......Page 152
8.3 Configuration systems and Customer Relationship Management......Page 155
9.1 The configurator: defining expected benefits and requirements......Page 162
9.2 Basic functions......Page 164
9.3 Special functions......Page 166
9.4 Configurator technology......Page 169
9.5 Modelling approaches......Page 171
9.6 Interaction with the user......Page 177
10.1 A reference process......Page 181
10.2 Preliminary analysis: do we really need it?......Page 183
10.3 Macro-analysis: to what extent do we need it?......Page 185
10.4 Micro-analysis: evaluating implementation alternatives and costs......Page 188
10.5 System design and implementation planning......Page 192
10.6 System implementation and launching......Page 195
10.7 The elements of success......Page 197
10.8 Project ‘killers’......Page 199
Part IV: Operational and Organizational Implications of a Configuration System......Page 202
11.1 Product and company context......Page 204
11.2 The original configuration process......Page 207
11.4 Product modelling......Page 209
11.5 The new configuration process......Page 210
11.6 A special case?......Page 213
12.1 Overcoming the ‘delay syndrome’ and sluggish red-tape......Page 215
12.2 Changes in roles and responsibilities......Page 218
12.3 A new knowledge management process......Page 219
12.4 Different order acquisition and fulfilment processes......Page 221
12.5 Inter-company coordination......Page 223
12.6 Configurational approach......Page 225
Bibliography......Page 228
C......Page 236
F......Page 238
M......Page 239
R......Page 240
U......Page 241
X......Page 242