Factory on demand: the shaping of an agile production network Available to Purchase

The competitive advantage in manufacturing has shifted from the mass production paradigm to the one that is based on fast‐responsiveness and flexibility. A worldwide wave of industrial restructuring and the re‐emergence of “small firms” have paved ways for the evolution of dispersed manufacturing networks in various degrees of complexity. With the rapid advances in internet technology, the emerging Factory‐on‐Demand mode of electronic production will create a greater opportunity for both producers and customers in the co‐creation of products and markets. Such a change will have far‐reaching implications in production practice beyond that of mass customization.