Mass Customization in Networks: A Typology of Collaboration Forms

Mass customization (MC) set customers at the center of all activities and focuses on delivering value by serving them uniquely as individuals. The performance of MC systems is impacted by the total set of value chain activities—not only those of the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) or service provider themselves—and customer experiences are in many cases influenced by multiple actors. The purpose of this paper is to propose a typology of network collaboration forms, showing how companies can work together to strengthen the MC operation. Our research is based on projects carried out with a Norwegian MC cluster for more than a decade and has indicated a typology of 6 types of network collaboration. This study contributes to existing research by proposing new areas for collaboration and presenting additional empirical findings. In addition to building core capabilities, increasing customer value is highlighted as a sought common value-chain goal. Besides, the collaboration between co-working MC companies seems to provide a large potential for learning and development.