Customized jewelry maker Paragon Lake hosted a panel on Mass Customization last Thursday and assembled an interesting group of participants

via REPLICATOR — Putting the “Custom” Back In Customer.

I highly recommend clicking the above link and exploring the many innovative ideas that Joseph describes and links to.

An interesting takeaway for me:

Sung Park started the evening off by breaking mass customization into three broad categories:

1. Digital Front End/Digital  Back End


This describes companies like Amazon that serve unique pages based on your interests in a completely digital fashion.

2. Digital Front End/Physical Customization and Assembly

Most current mass customization companies would fall into this bucket. You design something with a web based cad interface and then some factory produces it using modified traditional manufacturing processes. Think NikeID, Fashion Playtes, or Paragon Lake.

3. Sensor based Front End/CAD-CAM Back End

This is a more passive experience best illustrated by Brontes. In their case a sensor makes a model of your mouth and then automated equipment (a 3D printer) produces a physical copy of the scan. There is very little human involvement or intervention.