Session: DFMLC-02-01 Design for Supply Chain, end of Life Recovery, and Large Systems

Paper Number: 117191

117191 - The Impact of Covid-19 on Mass Personalization Supply Chain Networks – a Qualitative Inquiry 

Mass personalization (MPP) is a novel production method that integrates the consumer into the design process, efficiently producing distinct, scalable products that satisfy latent consumer needs. Previous MPP research has focused on the Industry 4.0 manufacturing processes and technologies required to make personalization a feasible method. Inherently, MPP necessitates a configurable supply chain that accommodates fluctuating product requirements. However, there has been little effort to examine the resilience and robustness of MPP supply chain networks in instances of external disruptions such as the ongoing COVID-19 supply chain crisis. This research takes a formal qualitative approach to investigate three MPP focal firms and the pandemic’s impact on their supply chain network through interviews with industry leaders. In doing so, we address research questions centered on MPP robust and resilience against external disruptions. The study finds that faced COVID-19 disruptions, MPP firms with centralized, specialty suppliers were vulnerable, while firms with increased supplier redundancy, network transitivity, and amplified visibility were robust and resilient. Evidence indicates that MPP capabilities provided robustness advantages over other production methods. Further, This work discovered that MPP FFs were particularly vulnerable to COVID-19 disruptions when using non-redundant, centralized suppliers. However, FFs taking advantage of MPP technologies to increase visibility and supplier redundancy were robust to disruptions and quick to recover from interruptions

Presenting Author: Fatemeh Mozaffar University of Georgia

Presenting Author Biography: Graduate Research Assistant

Authors:

Bryce Schuebert University of Georgia
Devanshi Shah University of Georgia
Jesse Mullis University of Georgia
Fatemeh Mozaffar University of Georgia
Beshoy Morkos University of Georgia