Xiaomi Mobile Phone's “Social Manufacturing” Journey

Today, changes in consumption patterns require manufacturing changes as well, not only to provide professional and high-quality products but also to meet consumers’ needs for personalized experiences. However, in the relationship between traditional producers and customers, organizations still dominate, which means customers are subordinate. This then makes it difficult to achieve a manufacturing model where the “customer is at the center”. With the development of network technology and advanced manufacturing, “social manufacturing” has emerged as the current environment requires, making the manufacturing mode of “the customer at the center” possible. Examining the production process of the Xiaomi phone, this case introduces the practical process which Xiaomi pursued to achieve social manufacturing, breaking the boundary between organization and creation, incorporating customers’ full participation in production and manufacturing, and successfully changing from “product centered” to “customer centered.” This in-depth study of Xiaomi mobile phones in the context of social manufacturing will help readers better understand the Wuli-Shili-Renli(WSR) system methodology and the road to social manufacturing in the era of the digital economy.