In many mass markets, companies are facing a predicament. On the one hand, customers are demanding that their orders be fulfilled ever more quickly. On the other hand, they are demanding highly customized products and services. Even without trying to customize their products, most companies have found it difficult to fulfill orders swiftly and at […]
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In many mass markets, companies are facing a predicament. On the one hand, customers are demanding that their orders be fulfilled ever more quickly. On the other hand, they are demanding highly customized products and services. Even without trying to customize their products, most companies have found it difficult to fulfill orders swiftly and at an acceptable cost. Is it possible, then, to mass-customize products, deliver them rapidly, and at the same time reduce costs?
A version of this article appeared in the January–February 1997 issue of Harvard Business Review.
Read more on Organizational restructuring or related topics Design thinking, Operations and supply chain management and Customer service
EF Edward Feitzinger is a process-technology manager at the Hewlett-Packard Company’s strategic planning and modeling unit in Palo Alto, California.
HL Hau L. Lee is the Thoma Professor of Operations, Information, and Technology at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business.
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Read more on Organizational restructuring or related topics Design thinking, Operations and supply chain management and Customer service
