An exploration of ramp-up strategies in the area of mass customisation

Most approaches in the field of mass customisation have assumed both a given and a stable product range which is continuously improved, e.g., by gradually adding new variants due to shifts in customer preferences. Curiously, within the field of mass customisation there are no studies that address problems related to new product introduction. Although mass customisation is a hybrid competitive strategy that aims at simultaneously achieving cost and differentiation advantage, we found out that a simultaneous ramp-up strategy for new products and product generations is not always practicable for companies in different industrial sectors, such as automotive and electronic industry. Thus, for a successful product introduction in the area of mass customisation we developed two sequential ramp-up strategies: the high-volume-low-mix (HVLM) strategy and the low-volume-high-mix (LVHM) strategy. Results from an explorative study in different industries produced evidence that our ramp-up strategies present two practicable strategic alternatives for successfully introducing new products in the area of mass customisation. To decide which ramp-up strategy should be used, we define a set of ramp-up specific criteria that are presented in this paper. Subsequently, we discuss some selected recommendations for the implementation of the two ramp-up strategies.