Methods and tools that support a fast and efficient design-to-order process for parameterized product families

For many companies, mass-customized products have become the de facto standard products. For these companies, "non-standard" or "customized" means products that even the most sophisticated of product or process configuration tools for parameterized product families cannot define in advance. Products like this need a design-to-order production environment (DID). This paper starts by presenting industrial examples that need the quickest and most efficient engineering process before releasing the customized manufacturing order. It then goes on to examine the organizational requirements, methods and tools that support a fast and efficient DTO process that comes close to the needs of mass customization. (C) 2012 CIRP.