E-product development (ePD) for mass customization

Electronic product development directly connects multiple customers and suppliers throughout the entire value chain. This alleviates much of the inefficiency in current product development and supply chain practices. It integrates different facets of product design, process design, order processing, and order fulfillment in a cohesive manner. This capability is becoming a critical factor in global competition. This paper presents an on-going research program of e-product development (ePD) for mass customization. The program aims at investigating fundamental issues and enabling techniques for applying the Internet to re-engineering manufacturing companies towards mass customization. The ultimate goal is to assist industries to upgrade to become high value-added businesses.