Robotics, the Internet of Things, Advanced Analytics – just some of the innovations that senior manufacturers are adding to their growing list of things to consider, leaving them confused and unprepared for the future. This five-part series will explore some of the themes that should be front of mind for business leaders in the British manufacturing industry today, offering practical advice on how organisations can prepare themselves for the future. In this first piece, I explore why mass customisation could be one of the biggest wins for British manufacturing, enabling firms to add value to their offering and increase customer loyalty.
Born digitally-native, Generation Z is ripping up the rule book when it comes to product design. They have an inbuilt expectation for products to be immediately available to them and want to know that, if they’re investing in something, it will improve over time. Take Tesla’s cars, for instance. The performance of the vehicle actually increases over its lifetime, meaning the car sat on your driveway in 10 years’ time will be better than the one you originally bought.
At the same time, clamouring to grab consumers’ ever-shortening attention spans, new entrants to market are constantly appearing, pushing up competition. Manufacturers therefore face pressure to treat their customers as markets of one; as failure to do so could result in them losing interest and buying from a competitor instead. Advancements in tech however, are making it easier and cheaper than ever before to offer highly customised products. Where previously, producing a tailor-made solution for each individual would have been hugely costly to both the manufacturer and the customer, advancements in techniques such as 3D printing have brought down the cost of bespoke design. What therefore must manufacturers consider if they’re to capitalise on this trend?Don’t personalise for the sake of it
Before customising your product, ask yourself which aspects of the design would give you the biggest value-add if personalised. BAC, a Liverpool-based supercar manufacturer for example, provides each customer with a one-of-a-kind vehicle, but only customises the seat and steering wheel. This means the team of engineers doesn’t have to reinvent each car from scratch for every customer through the door, but that they still benefit from a bespoke finish; which they’re often willing to pay a premium for.
Ensure you understand the different parameters
Every product has a set of parameters that define all its variations. For example, if you buy a sofa, it can vary in colour and material, it can have a left-hand corner or a right-hand corner, it can come with or without feet, and so on. In order to successfully customise on a mass scale, manufacturers must work out each and every parameter of their product, and then capture that information in their CAD system. Those rules can then be used to programme the design and engineering process, allowing the manufacturer to automate the production of many, many variations at low cost.
Put the customer at the centre of your product design
Once manufacturers have mastered this, they can go one step further by taking these design-driven rules and pushing them out to the customer. This enables the customer to configure the design themselves before getting a quote, and can go a long way to increase their engagement and loyalty with the brand. For instance, using the Feetz app, customers can take an image of each foot from three different angles and, in under a minute, get a 3D model of their foot. Their shoes are then manufactured to their exact measurements.
Not only does mass customisation allow manufacturers to get closer to their customers, it enables them to produce products that are of a higher value, which consumers will pay more for. By following these steps, manufacturers can take advantage of this growing trend and start to make the products their today’s digital-first consumers need and want.
Look out for my next piece in the series, where I’ll be exploring how manufacturers can work more collaboratively with their customers, partners and suppliers.
