Mass customization in supply chain : development of a conceptual framework to manage and asses performance

Mass customization is one of the buzzwords of the markets according to Pillar (2004). With increasing coverage in the literature, it is a growing area of research with new opportunities as well as gaps. This thesis aims to address the gap which exists in literature about implementation of mass customization in supply chain level. Inspired by extensive literature review, it has been recognized that implementation of mass customization in supply chain has been studied fragmented and still it is not clear how it would be possible to manage a supply chain in a turbulent environment. The purpose of the framework is to help companies, which want to start doing mass customization, to understand main aspects of the supply chain, understand which factors impact these aspects and how their performance can be assessed. To reach this goal this study needs to answer to two main questions: 1. Which factors are needed to be considered while implementing mass customization in supply chain level? 2. How these factors can be measured? Different strategies have been analyzed and understood in relation with the other strategies to create a wholesome frame. Each strategy is presented with different factors which affect the decisions and indicators for assessing these factors. The frame aims to aid the companies by providing these different factors they have to manage to implement for an effective mass customization strategy and indicators which they can use to assess the performance of these factors. At the end of the study, a validation phase has been implemented to evaluate the correctness and completeness of the frame.