Modular Customization / 模块化定制

Modular customization / 模块化定制 is the strategy of decomposing varied customer requirements into standardized modules and recombining those modules into many customer-specific products. In EP271 探访“柔性制造”工厂：是谁让你“想要就能买到”？, [[HaierGroup|海尔]] uses this approach for commercial central air-conditioning, where building area, machine-room size, humidity, temperature, and energy targets make pure standardization impractical.

The concept is a middle path between rigid mass production and one-off engineering. It helps [[FlexibleManufacturing|flexible manufacturing]] scale because the factory can reuse components, data, tests, suppliers, and process knowledge while still configuring solutions for different sites. In the Haier case, modular customization is paired with [[COSMOPlat|卡奥斯]], customer selection systems, [[ManufacturingDigitalTwin|digital twins]], and [[ManufacturingDigitalThread|digital-thread coordination]].

Key Claims

• Customization becomes scalable when differences are captured as reusable modules rather than rebuilt from scratch.
• The product architecture has to decide which variations are standardized and which remain project-specific.
• Modular customization can improve sales because customers can get an initial scheme through a selection system before deep engineering work starts.
• The model works best when production, design, ordering, and quality systems share the same module logic.
• Poor modularization can create complexity without true flexibility if modules do not map to real customer needs.

Connections

• Haier Group / 海尔 and COSMOPlat / 卡奥斯 - source case and platform context.
• Flexible Manufacturing / 柔性制造, Manufacturing Digital Twin / 制造数字孪生, Manufacturing Digital Thread / 制造数字主线, and Small-Order Quick Response / 小单快反 - adjacent manufacturing concepts.
• Enterprise Custom Delivery - software-side analogy where bespoke work becomes valuable only when it feeds reusable capability.