MASS CUSTOMIZATION AND ITS IMPACT ON ASSEMBLY PROCESS' COMPLEXITY

It is well known that high level of customer requirements and rapidly changing environment both induce complexity. The main reason for the failure of majority mass customized applications and projects is an increasing overall complexity of the system while relevant solutions for the overall production complexity reduction are still missing. The paper presents an overview of variety induced complexities in assembly operations capable and assessing the impact of assembly variety on performance, and reveals problems arising between quality and complexity. This paper aims to describe the current views to complexity, its measurement and management within assembly processes in mass customized productions and presents proposals for future development in the area.