Abstract
This article describes how Amercian Power Conversion (APC), a company in the electronics industry, has used the principles of mass customization to achieve major improvements of its efficiency and performance. APC sells, designs, produces, delivers, and installs large complex infrastructure systems for data centers, and components and systems for these systems. At the heart of its mass customization strategy are a m odule based product range and the use of product configuration systems for sales and order processing. In addition, the company has implemented a manufacturing concept which involves mass production of standard components in the Far East, and order-based final assembly based on customer orders in various production sites around the world in close customer proximity. The results of applying mass customization principles include a reduction of the overall delivery time for a complete system from about 400 days to 16 days. Also, production costs were reduced significantly. The use of product configuration systems also supports a widely distributed process of selling APC's products via more than 10,000 sales associates and dealers worldwide. At the same time, the company's capability for introducing new products has increased. Each year, APC introduces moire than 1,000 new products onto the market.
Original language | English |
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Title of host publication | Customer Interaction and Customer Integration |
Number of pages | 489 |
Volume | 2 |
Place of Publication | Berlin |
Publisher | GITO-Verlag |
Publication date | 2006 |
Pages | 243-258 |
ISBN (Print) | 3-936771-73-1 |
Publication status | Published - 2006 |