A method of controlling a shape of an extrudate made of ceramic batch material extruded from an extrusion die of an extruder, comprising: flowing the ceramic batch material through an extruder cavity immediately adjacent the extrusion die, wherein the ceramic batch material has a temperature and wherein the cavity has a central axis and defines a perimeter of the ceramic batch material; locally adjusting the temperature of the ceramic batch material through its perimeter at multiple locations, wherein locally adjusting the temperature of the ceramic batch material includes either locally heating the ceramic batch material through its periphery or locally heating and cooling the ceramic batch material through its periphery, extruding the temperature-adjusted ceramic batch material through the extrusion die to form the extrudate, with the extrudate having an outer surface; measuring temperatures of the extrudate and controlling the local adjusting of the temperature of the ceramic batch material based on the measured outer surface temperatures to control the shape of the extrudate, characterized in that the local heating is performed by using multiple heating elements, each heating element having a temperature defined by an amount of electrical power provided to each of the heating elements; measuring temperatures of the extrudate at multiple outer surface locations having different azimuthal positions; and the method further comprising measuring the heating-element temperatures or temperatures of regions adjacent the heating elements; and controlling the measured heating-element temperatures or the temperatures of the regions adjacent the heating elements in a second control loop. flowing the ceramic batch material through an extruder cavity immediately adjacent the extrusion die, wherein the ceramic batch material has a temperature and wherein the cavity has a central axis and defines a perimeter of the ceramic batch material; locally adjusting the temperature of the ceramic batch material through its perimeter at multiple locations, wherein locally adjusting the temperature of the ceramic batch material includes either locally heating the ceramic batch material through its periphery or locally heating and cooling the ceramic batch material through its periphery, extruding the temperature-adjusted ceramic batch material through the extrusion die to form the extrudate, with the extrudate having an outer surface; measuring temperatures of the extrudate and controlling the local adjusting of the temperature of the ceramic batch material based on the measured outer surface temperatures to control the shape of the extrudate, characterized in that the local heating is performed by using multiple heating elements, each heating element having a temperature defined by an amount of electrical power provided to each of the heating elements; measuring temperatures of the extrudate at multiple outer surface locations having different azimuthal positions; and the method further comprising measuring the heating-element temperatures or temperatures of regions adjacent the heating elements; and controlling the measured heating-element temperatures or the temperatures of the regions adjacent the heating elements in a second control loop.