Product configuration of infra structure systems for data centres

This article describes how American Power Conversion (APC), a company in the electronics industry, has used product configuration systems as a central part of the company’s mass customisation strategy. APC sells, designs, produce, delivers, and installs large complex infrastructure systems for data centres, and components and systems for these systems. At the heart of its mass customisation strategy are a module-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 the mass production of standard components in the Far East, and customer order-based final assembly at various production sites around the world within close customer proximity. The results of applying mass customisation principles include a reduction of the overall delivery time for a complete system from around 400 to 16 days. Also, production costs were significantly reduced. 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 more than 1,000 new products to the market.