The degree of digitization is not yet sufficient to fully support the C2M model

On the supply side, with the development of market economy, domestic and foreign enterprises compete to enter the Chinese market. The fierce competition in the industry leads to the homogenization of products and marketing, and the phenomenon of price war is not uncommon. In order to compete for a larger market share and find incremental markets, enterprises have embarked on the road of differentiation, providing customers with more product choices, and looking forward to breaking through the siege in the competition.

In order to cope with the challenges of fierce competition in the air conditioning market, under the boost of low-carbon development trend, the enterprise takes the lead in launching frequency conversion air conditioning with technical advantages, and then launches fluorine-free air conditioning, formaldehyde removal air conditioning, etc., to find a differentiated foothold, upgrade the health and environmental protection concept of air conditioning, and provide consumers with more choices.

A domestic mobile phone brand, in the competition of more than 200 brands in the mobile phone industry, in the face of strong international brands Apple, Samsung, as well as domestic brands Huawei, Xiaomi, etc., the brand broke through the functional boundaries of traditional mobile phones, launched music phones, “extreme beauty” beauty camera phones and “five minutes to talk for two hours” high-endurance fast charging mobile phones. To consumers repeatedly convey the concept of differentiation of its products, the first to find the effective positioning in the minds of consumers.

However, the current product differentiation measures on the supply side, strictly speaking, are still in the category of production and sales, but thanks to the big data analysis of the e-commerce platform, the factory can learn which types of products have the potential to become explosive, and then more confident production and sales, not the real sense of C2M. The complete C2M model puts forward new requirements for product design, operation planning, supply chain coordination, and production management on the supply side. Production enterprises need to vigorously promote internal digital transformation, significantly improve operational efficiency and production flexibility, in order to enjoy the C2M market dividends.

2, discrete manufacturing enterprises are facing more and more customization needs

In the discrete manufacturing industry, customization trend also exists, and the discrete manufacturing enterprises are facing more and more customization needs.

Customization of consumer goods has gradually become normal

Automobile: Under the trend of diversified demand, consumers are no longer satisfied with the simple choice of car body color and displacement configuration. In response to consumers’ personalized requirements for cars, more and more car companies have begun to provide more customized services, which has significantly increased consumer participation. In the sales selection process, Siemens Avendar survey shows that more than 75% of consumers want to be able to customize the leather, color and texture of the interior, as well as the body color; In addition, consumers also put forward higher demands for vehicle functional features, with more than 70% of respondents having custom needs for the car’s engine, suspension, damping, etc. For the purchase stage experience, consumers hope that car companies can provide AR/VR assisted display, three-dimensional model multi-scene switching, intelligent car selection advice and assistance and other customized services. In the automobile production link, the vast majority of consumers are very concerned about the quality of the automobile production process and delivery, and hope that the enterprise can show the real situation of the production site. All in all, the customization needs of the automotive industry show a diversified and complicated trend.

Other consumer goods: For consumer goods such as electronic products, home appliances, shoes, clothing and bags, the trend of customization has long been the norm. Consumers can customize the scope mainly covers the appearance of the product (such as: color, shape, texture, etc.), product materials (such as: leather wallets, wood furniture, etc.) and product functions (such as: low-sugar rice cookers, adjustable tables and chairs, etc.). The customized products meet the diversified needs of consumers, show the personality of consumers, and conform to the development trend of the industry.

The trend of customization of industrial products is developing rapidly

Under the influence of the trend of customization, traditional industrial products have gradually shifted from standardized and mass production to small-batch and multi-batch production.
Machine tools: With the vigorous development of Industry 4.0 and digital factories, “customization” services are no longer limited to spare parts processing, and the market demand for customized machine tools is also increasing. For different application scenarios, equipment manufacturers can customize machine tools according to customer requirements in terms of design, power distribution capabilities, and blade positioning accuracy.
Forklifts: Nowadays, forklifts play an important role in all walks of life. Forklift customization can determine the fork width, rated load capacity and other configurations of the forklift according to the size of the factory door, the bearing capacity of the site, the company’s product counterweight size and other factors, and can be customized for customers to effectively meet the material handling needs.

ETO type industrial products, that is, industrial products designed to order, such products are generally based on project needs, the process is more complex, and the degree of customization is high.
• High-voltage switch: In order to meet customer customization needs, high-voltage switch manufacturers usually combine customer site layout, current and voltage conditions and other factors, according to customer needs, in the appearance of high-voltage switch color, shape, voltage level, insulation mode and other dimensions of customization.
Steam turbines: As an essential part of industrial power generation, steam turbines have a wide range of applications and a strong demand for customization. The design of steam turbine needs to be designed and customized for customers according to their application industries, scenarios and energy types.