Re: Experience Mass Customization

From: Chad.L.Buchanan@Cummins.com
Date: Thu Jan 03 2002 - 22:51:39 EET


I just went to the Nike web site. There is an opportunity to customize the
colors on quite a few different shoe styles. This is of intersest to me as
I just wasn't able to bring myself to buy a few shoes that I liked due to
the hideous (IMHO) color patterns available.......

Chad Buchanan

Brock Hinzmann <bhinzmann@sric-bi.com>@rapid.lpt.fi on 01/03/2002 03:02:01
PM

Please respond to Brock Hinzmann <bhinzmann@sric-bi.com>

Sent by: owner-rp-ml@rapid.lpt.fi

To: Steven Pollack <steve@familyjeweler.com>, Rafael Santillan
      <rsanti@3drapid.com>
cc: cwho <cwho@lgmmodel.com>, Charles Overy <cwho@mountainmax.net>, rp-ml
      <rp-ml@rapid.lpt.fi>
Subject: Re: Experience Mass Customization

Steven,

I believe Nike, for one, already allows the kind of thing you describe.
Originally, a few years back, they allowed you to go onto their Web site
(if you had enough computing power) and select the colors or even an
original design for printing onto you customized shoes. At first, I think
they had only one model, but I thought I read where they had expanded it to
a few basic configurations. I haven't checked lately to see if they still
offer it.

Even so, it doesn't solve the problem Rafael experienced. Good ergonomics
for one person are not good ergonomics for another person. And you can't
determine that by looking at a person's foot. I recall another company that
made custom-fit running shoes maybe 20 years ago. They conformed
beautifully to the foot (they used a foam system to surround your foot, or
some such), but that has nothing to do with the ergonomics.

I think your dream of a technology-augmented, professional-assisted custom
shoe design system is still possible, but the technology isn't there yet.

Brock Hinzmann

Steven Pollack wrote:
>Rafael,
>
>That was a great story of your adventure in shoe customization. Sort of
>like Don
>Quixote tilting at gym shoes.
>
>I would not, however, envision a system that gave the consumer complete
control
>over the ergonomic aspects of the shoes. I would think that a team of
shoe
>designers would figure out a range of industry accepted shapes for the
>interior/sole of the shoe based on ergonomics and other practical
>considerations.
>The consumer would be able to control the exterior shell which would be
>engineered
>to fit the interior regardless of the choices made.
>
>I am still not convinced, hower, that the consumer would choose to create
an
>entirely unique design anyways versus being given a range of choices. If
I read
>your post correctly, you are in concurrence.
>
>Steven
>
>Rafael Santillan wrote:
>
>> Steven and all.
>>
>> Last year after finishing some prototypes for the shoe industry, I got
>the Idea
>> of the perfect shoes custom made, so I spend several hours with a
designer
>> creating my perfect shoes, very comfortables and beautiful shape (foot
like
>> geometry) I was starting to think in the name of the new brand of shoes.
>> Once we finished the desing in a CAD package for speed we just printed
several
>> views of the shoes and I asked a local shoe maker to manufacture them.
I
>> recall his face gesture asking me; are you sure this is what you want ?
>and I
>> answered very cofident YES!, this shoes are created considering not just
the
>> real geometry of the foot but considers comfortable movements and the
>> external shape was in my beleiving something NEW which may be according
>to new
>> fashion.
>>
>> To make the story short, after 2 weeks of waiting and some colabaration
with
>> him, I got my brand new pair of shoes custom made. Unfortunately the
>rest of
>> the people (including my wife) din not agree at all with my new
fashion,
>and I
>> got all kind of critisism about the shape of the shoes, and it was not
all. I
>> would have ignored all of them but my shoes werent as comfortables as
I
>> tought they should be (something I still do not understand since they
>have the
>> exact geometry of my foot made of soft impact absorbing material!!.
>>
>> So summarizing my experience I think the proffesional fashion designers
has
>> something I do not have, and it may have someting to do with the
paradigms and
>> the way they change them slowly , or may be the marketing support
behing new
>> designs, etc, etc, I do not know, but something I learned was that next
>time I
>> want a new pair of shoes, I rather go to the shop (which is the cheapest
>way by
>> the way) to select among thousands the once I like for shape and
comfort than
>> trying to get into a field with innovative Ideas where I have not
experience
>> nor knowledge but only an Idea that once became real may be differente
>of what
>> I expected.
>>
>> I am sure there are other fields where mass customization will have a
>different
>> story (a successful one)where some people from different perspectives
have
>> broken old paradigms and created great ideas, but for the most of the
cases
>> something we have to admit is that we better listen the advice of expert
from
>> the field where we beleive we can innovate something before going ahead.
>>
>> best regards and my best whishes to all in this challenging new year.
>>
>> An apology for my bad English spelling and grammar since it is not my
>motherīs
>> tongue.
>>
>> *************************************************
>> * Dr. Rafael Santillan, Phone: 52-442-2226774 *
>> * Director 3D RAPID Fax: 52-442-2226774 *
>> * Mobile: 52-442-2366015 *
>> * Email: rsanti@3drapid.com *
>> * MOVIL Email: rsanti@movilaccess.com *
>> * *
>> * Address: Priv. Martin Carrera 105, *
>> * Colonia Presidentes *
>> * City: Queretaro,Qro. MEXICO. Zip. 76080 *
>> * WEB: http://www.3drapid.com *
>> *************************************************
>>
>> --------------------------------------------------------------
>> Este e-mail fue enviado con el servicio IMP de : mail.ciateq.mx
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>To: Rafael Santillan <rsanti@3drapid.com>
>CC: cwho@lgmmodel.com, Charles Overy <cwho@mountainmax.net>,
> rp-ml@rapid.lpt.fi
>Subject: Re: Experience Mass Customization
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