The manufacturing industry is being disrupted by the trend of Make to Order at Scale, which presents a challenge for companies to navigate successfully. To capitalize on consumer-customized products, companies must integrate this approach into their strategic blueprint to enhance sales and profitability without excessive costs. Precise product forecasting and distribution strategies that align with manufacturing and procurement are crucial in this process. Meticulous planning and execution are vital as complexities in setups and changeovers increase, necessitating additional design and procurement efforts for components, ingredients, and packaging.

Consumers have the power to customize products, leading to market growth and enabling companies to boost revenue, broaden their product range, and better engage with customers. Succeeding in this landscape necessitates implementing strategic customization strategies and effective models tailored to consumer preferences. Businesses that excel in these areas will flourish in the market.

What Is Make to Order at Scale?

Make to Order at Scale has emerged as a disrupting force driven by the rising demand from consumers for personalized products and services that cater to their specific preferences and needs. This customized approach is revolutionizing the manufacturing sector, particularly within the consumer packaged goods industry. Manufacturers are facing mounting pressure to revamp their strategies in order to meet the changing expectations of customers who are increasingly seeking unique and tailored offerings. As this trend continues to gain traction, companies are finding themselves with no choice but to adopt a personalized solutions approach to remain competitive in the dynamic marketplace.

Consumers are seeking diversity in their purchases. In various consumer goods, such as colors, styles, smells, and flavors, there is a wide range of options available. However, in recent years, consumers have shown a growing interest in personalization. They now expect to have the ability to customize their clothing, food, and beverages to a greater extent.

How Is It Disrupting Manufacturing?

The trend of Make to Order at Scale is reshaping various manufacturing industries, with customization becoming a key driver of consumer demand. This trend has now extended to the food and beverage sector, where consumers can personalize items like candy and soft drinks for an additional cost. Customization, once seen as a luxury, has now become a mainstream phenomenon, putting pressure on the industry to offer personalized products. To stay competitive, the food and beverage sector must be creative in meeting the rising demand for custom goods. As consumers show a willingness to pay for customized products, the market is adapting and innovating to cater to these preferences.

Implementing Make to Order at Scale can have its advantages and drawbacks for manufacturers. It enables them to remain competitive and increase revenue, but if not properly controlled, expenses can escalate and personalized products can become a hindrance. To address this issue, it is crucial to incorporate make to order offerings at a strategic point in the production process to uphold material consistency and manage expenses effectively. This strategy facilitates customization while ensuring a reasonable cost of goods sold, meeting the growing consumer demand for tailored products.

Which Industries Are Experiencing Impacts?

The ongoing situation is significantly impacting the manufacturing sectors, particularly the consumer packaged goods industry, particularly in the consumer products and food and beverage categories.

Food and Beverage

Food industry sees rise in customization trends with candies & beverages tailored to individual preferences. Creameries & fresh food producers offer personalized options to meet demand for made-to-order items. Manufacturers introduce kiosks in supermarkets for product mixing & matching, while expanding vending services for custom meals & beverages. 3D printing revolutionizes industry, allowing endless product customization possibilities, like personalized container sizes. Some companies use 3D printing for bespoke food choices.

The demand for fresh and personalized foods is on the rise among consumers, particularly those seeking to support local producers and prioritize sustainability. This trend is fueled by a desire for reliable sources of food. While food service and fast food restaurants have long offered customizable options, there is a growing popularity of more personalized food establishments. The customization of fresh foods is becoming increasingly prevalent, with the ability to scale up production and offer made-to-order products.

Consumer Products

Consumer Products sector has witnessed a shift towards customization in apparel, and this trend is now extending to Consumer Electronics. This product category encompasses items with a power source, such as smartphones, laptops, TVs, home appliances, and power tools. Traditionally, these products were mass-produced without the need for customization. Nevertheless, there is a growing movement to revolutionize this industry by providing consumers with personalized choices for these goods.

Consumers are being empowered by technology to customize product designs and enhance them with additional accessories. Personal electronics and large appliances manufacturers are now providing customization choices for their final products, and smart technologies are introducing intelligence into appliances to meet the needs of consumers' daily lives. Cutting-edge technologies such as 3D printing have the ability to transform production techniques for smaller products and simplify the manufacturing process.

What is the Strategy for Manufacturers?

In the past, CPG products were typically produced in mass quantities with no individualized features, like uniform boxes of cereal and identical bottles of laundry detergent found in every store. Yet, as competition in the CPG industry intensifies, consumer demands for these goods are evolving. This has prompted a transition towards tailored and customized options for basic food and drink items.

In today's market, consumer preferences are shaped by a variety of factors such as economic conditions, health concerns, and social media trends. The widespread use of social media has accelerated the pace of trend changes as individuals showcase their unique styles online. This shift towards customization is fostering a sense of creativity among consumers, driving a greater demand for personalized products. Consequently, manufacturers are expanding their range of customized product options to cater to this expanding market demand.

Food companies are not yet making the shift to make-to-order strategies, but they are producing a growing number of products with minimal variations. Mass customization and configured products are giving consumers unique choices and allowing manufacturers to increase sales, brand awareness, and customer loyalty.

What is the Next Step for Manufacturers?

Manufacturers encounter obstacles when providing consumer-customized products. Firms are required to incorporate customization into their strategic objectives, with a focus on enhancing sales and profitability while minimizing cost escalations. Precise product forecasting for base items and distribution is imperative for effective customization. Thorough planning and meticulous execution are crucial, particularly as setups grow more intricate and additional components must be procured.

Enabling consumers to personalize products will drive growth in the CPG industry. This presents opportunities for companies to increase revenue, broaden their product range, and connect directly with customers. The key to success lies in crafting clear customization strategies and implementing straightforward, practical solutions that cater to consumer preferences.

How Does Nirmalya Suite Help Manufacturers Address Disruption and Become Future-Ready?

Nirmalya Suite is a smart, innovative, and flexible manufacturing suite designed to enhance adaptability for manufacturers. It integrates workforce, procedures, and technology to boost operational efficiency and productivity. This comprehensive suite covers key functionalities like procurement, sales, service, manufacturing, inventory, and financials, offering customized solutions for industry challenges. With a centralized hub for demand planning, production planning, and financial planning, businesses can optimize operations and make informed decisions. By connecting the supply chain, digital manufacturing, and customer management, it establishes a resilient organizational structure. Serving as an advanced enterprise resource planning suite, it equips manufacturers with the necessary tools to navigate complexities and stay prepared for the future.

Nirmalya Suite offers platform for companies to incorporate a customer-focused approach into their strategies, boosting sales and profitability. The enables consumers to customize products through a digital marketplace, expanding offerings and giving them control over their purchases. This collaboration helps businesses improve customer experience, drive growth, and cultivate lasting relationships with clients in a professional and efficient manner.

Nirmalya Suite offers detailed product forecasting and distribution plans that integrate with manufacturing and procurement processes. Emphasis is placed on strategic planning and implementation, especially as production setups and changeovers become increasingly intricate. This entails the coordination of additional components, ingredients, and packaging materials to maintain seamless operations.

Nirmalya Suite helps manufacturers streamline customisation strategies and create models to meet consumer needs. The suite's advanced capabilities enable manufacturers to develop strategies that align with customer requirements easily. Its user-friendly interface facilitates the implementation of executable models, ensuring products resonate with the target audience. It empowers manufacturers to enhance their product development process with precision and a focus on customer satisfaction.

Nirmalya Suite's control tower is equipped with advanced analytics to help manufacturers make informed, data-driven decisions to improve their supply chain and demand management. It monitors important metrics such as procurement cost per order, time to market, transportation efficiency, and warehouse operations efficiently. This thorough monitoring allows businesses to streamline their procurement processes, decrease time-to-market, and track transportation and warehouse operations effectively. By analyzing and comparing these metrics, manufacturers can make strategic decisions to enhance their operational efficiency and competitiveness in the market.

Nirmalya Suite's control tower provides a quick overview of expired and expiring inventory, showing product line, site, item number, and the value of expired quantities. This visual allows users to easily identify inventory that is past or nearing its expiration date. With this advance warning, the company can potentially use the inventory before it expires. However, once the expiration date has passed, the inventory becomes unusable and must be replaced since expired items cannot be used or shipped.

Nirmalya Suite provides a user-friendly self-service dashboard and analytics platform that utilizes reliable core data for guaranteed accuracy. By streamlining operations and eliminating the need for additional systems and investments, this approach reduces costs and empowers decision-makers to base their actions on data. The embedded analytics accurately reflect the current state of the business, ensuring high performance without compromising system efficiency. With pre-configured analytics tailored to each business function, analytics seamlessly integrate into daily operations.

Nirmalya Suite's dashboard and analytics platform provides customizable KPIs for various business areas, allowing users to personalize dashboards to their specific requirements. The platform enables easy addition and adjustment of KPIs to meet different roles, ensuring decision makers have access to pertinent analytics. A range of chart types, including geographic heat maps, pie charts, and column charts, are available for effective data visualization. This enhances decision-making by presenting data clearly and in an easily understandable format.

As a business owner, your time and money are valuable. You can gain control, reduce risks, and make smarter decisions every day by using Nirmalya Suite embedded with Business Intelligence, international compliance standards, robust extensibility, and artificial intelligence capabilities. Whether you have a small business or a growing enterprise, Nirmalya Suite can lead you to a smoother, more profitable future. Contact us to learn more about how Nirmalya Suite can benefit your business.