Computer Aided Process Planning as an Enabler for Mass Customization: State of the Art and Future Areas for Research

The objective of this paper is to explore the state-of-the-art in generative process planning as it seems most suitable for the concept of Mass Customization (MC). Particular importance is attributed to special requirements of MC on the practice of process planning as it becomes an integral part of the value chain. Based on the literature review and the extended requirements of MC, the need for future research is derived. This paper also gives a brief introduction on the concept of MC and explains why current discussions often fail to address important issues such as manufacturability and cost of individualized products.