Spring 2001, Volume 42, Number 3, pp. Today, mass-customized products seem to be everywhere. Andersen Windows can build a window to fit any house.
Consumers can get their names printed, sewn or embossed on nearly anything.
There are several ways to deliver variety, and mass customization may not always be the best. So argues Paul Zipkin, professor of business at Duke University s Fuqua School of Business. Mass customization actually requires unique operational capabilities. Moreover, demand for customization is limited and likely to remain so. Current technology can support large-scale customization only for a few attributes of a few products.