S-MC-S Sustainable Mass Customization - Mass Customization for Sustainability

Summary

he S-MC-S project aims to define and research a new production process called sustainable mass customisation. This is an emerging paradigm which combines the efficiency of mass production with the benefits of customisation. Mass customisation also brings several advantages in terms of sustainability, as goods are produced only as and when necessary and according to precise customer specifications. This reduces waste, thereby significantly reducing energy consumption and cutting manufacturing costs. There are several reasons why mass customisation is not fully utilised at present. First, there is no real networked environment based on a common strategy or appropriate supply chain to enable mass customisation to take place, nor the specific methodologies and tools to handle its implementation. Second, the evaluation of mass customisation must move beyond assessment of economic factors towards environmental and social considerations, incorporating the dimension of sustainability. S-MC-S will promote four research pillars in response to this: • The design and definition of methodologies and tools to manage the growing complexity of products, production and supply chain configurations imposed by mass customisation in networked environments. • Creation of an assessment model to evaluate the impact of production systems and different supply chain configurations when dealing with customisation. • The drawing up of a business model and definition of the framework and strategies for creating economic, social and ecological values through the systematic implementation of S-MC-S. • The development of new specific mass-customisation technology, with enhanced on-demand manufacturing capabilities, greater flexibility and faster overall response times. S-MC-S will research pilot mass customisation technologies in three different sectors to support the transition of manufacturing towards sustainable mass customisation production thanks to new developments in rapid small series production.

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Web resources:	http://web.ttsnetwork.net/SMCS/pages/index.jsp https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/260090
Start date:	01-05-2010
End date:	30-04-2013
Total budget - Public funding:	5 008 558,00 Euro - 3 464 881,00 Euro

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Original description

The S-MC-S project aims at supporting European manufacturing to adapt to global competitive pressures by developing methods and innovative enabling technologies towards a customer oriented and eco-efficient manufacturing. To this end, S-MC-S vision is to define and research a new production paradigm, Sustainable Mass-Customization, while also presenting Customization as one of the main driving forces behind the future success of Sustainability. Nowadays, companies still fail to profit from mass-customization because of: I- there is no real networked environment, based on a common strategy and appropriate Supply Chain, meant to empower mass customization along the entire value chain, nor specific methodologies and tools to handle Mass Customization (MC) implementation. Current industrial MC solutions are focused on single companies, thus far behind from the implementation and exploitation of the concept of multi‐site multi‐nation factory (and the related logistic, legislative, organizational aspects); II- the evaluation of Mass Customization implementation must move beyond the mere assessment of economic aspects, steering towards the integration of Environmental and Social consequences into the assessment of the value chain. S-MC-S addresses these issues by promoting 4 RTD Pillars: 1)Design Tools: defining methodologies and tools capable to manage growing complexity of product, production and supply chain configurations imposed by MC implementation in a networked environment. 2)Assessment model: defining the assessment model needed to evaluate the impact of production systems and different supply chain configurations 3)Business Model: defining the framework and strategies for creating economic, social and ecological value through the systematic implementation of S-MC-S paradigm. 4)New specific MC technology: researching pilot MC enabling technology in 3 different sectors, to support manufacturing transition towards sustainable MC (leather; furniture; stone)