Abstract

The paper intends to present clear pictures of research evolution in two research domains based on a thorough literature review: The service system design and mass customization areas. It identifies a necessity for integrating these two areas, which adopted the concepts of mass customization to guide the service delivery system design to cope with the traditional operation dilemma. This could lead to a new research area for exploration with both great industrial and academic significance. The paper finally presents brief research suggestions to stimulate further research efforts in application of mass customization in the service delivery system design at both macro and micro level from an integrated product/process view.

Key words: Mass customization, service delivery system, modularity, postponement.