The impact of social manufacturing on the value chain model in the apparel industry

Abstract

Rapid development in mobile technologies, 3D printing and social networks has paved the way for the new phenomenon called Social manufacturing. Social manufacturing represents a paradigm shift in traditional manufacturing models; in social manufacturing, the role of customers changes from being passive to being fully active agents in the manufacturing of products. This shift allows for the opportunity to produce customized products according to the needs of every single customer in the society. The demand of consumers in the apparel industry is rapidly changing to becoming more personalized. Consequently, social manufacturing can dramatically contribute to customization in the apparel industry through the help of 3D printing. In this paper, we study how social manufacturing can redefine the entire value chain of the apparel industry