Front-End/Back-End Integration in Mass Customization: Challenges and Opportunities

Many mass customization challenges can be ascribed to insufficient integration of front-end (e.g., customer choice navigation processes, product configuration, user interfaces, and customer behavior patterns) and back-end (e.g., order management, purchasing and production planning and control) systems. To succeed as a mass customizer, customer/manufacturer integration is critical. This paper provides in-depth insights to integration challenges and opportunities based upon a case study of four manufacturing companies. For solution space and product development, high uncertainty in new idea generation, lack of systematic product and solution space development, and limited knowledge of what is the “right” solution space are identified as challenges with opportunities for improvement. Regarding choice navigation, many companies have limited direct contact with end customers due to sales through dealers and resellers. Associated inefficient information flows are another challenge. The companies acknowledge opportunities related to advisory support during the sales process, as well as enhanced external collaboration with, e.g., complementary actors. With respect to back-end systems, inefficient information flows also occur here. This, in combination with a large number of freestanding ICT systems, results in cumbersome production planning and execution. This is complicated even more by incorrect basic data. Finally, there are major opportunities in automatic visualization and efficient utilization of key information from the entire value chain. In addition to outlining several directions for further research, the paper provides in-depth, company-based insights to key integration development areas, which managers may use when developing their own mass customization practices.