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mass customisation

Webcast: Mass customisation and the apparel industry

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In this presentation and interview, Eric Zhang, VP of engineering at Scalable Press, provides an insight into how mass customisation is applied in the company. (See video below)

Scalable Press can supply manufactured goods in batches of 10,000 or any number. But it’s the fact that it can also supply that “batch of 1” that makes its process an example of mass customisation.

A vast number of Scalable Press’ customers are individuals who may be buying a T-shirt online, through a store of some kind, and selecting their own, individual design preferences.  [Read more…] about Webcast: Mass customisation and the apparel industry

Mass customisation makes itself at home alongside mass manufacturing

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While many people might credit Henry Ford with the creation of the assembly line, it was actually one of his employees, Charles Sorensen, who “examined the relationship between people, machines, tooling, and products and organized them to achieve a continuous flow of production”, according to an article by Daniel Theobald, published today on Robotics and Automation News.

Sorensen’s innovation – albeit in Ford’s employ – could be seen as the first example of a cyber-physical system which optimised, indeed launched, a new era of mass manufacturing which emphasised efficiency and productivity.

Sorensen’s assembly line enabled Ford to build a Model T car in two-and-a-half hours instead of the 12 it had previously taken – without compromising quality, and possibly even improving it.  [Read more…] about Mass customisation makes itself at home alongside mass manufacturing

Mass customisation: Cimpress finds ‘the right balance’ of automation and human intervention in manufacturing

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Cimpress was practising “mass customisation” years before the term became fashionable. In 1999, the Netherlands company took its operation to the internet and launched its now-famous Vistaprint brand, among others.

Originally established in 1995, Cimpress now employs 12,000 people worldwide and last year generated revenue of more $2 billion.

In this article, Maarten Wensveen, chief technology officer at Cimpress, provides an insight into the company’s operations and technology. 

Modern manufacturing technology is improving how goods are made and how quickly they can be delivered to customers.

[Read more…] about Mass customisation: Cimpress finds ‘the right balance’ of automation and human intervention in manufacturing