Fab EU offers: From plan to product
The Company leaves the typical online retail space and moves to new “FAB Designed By You ” Product line.
For this purpose a new Legal Entity called “Fab DBY GmbH” was created. The Business is fully focused onmanufacturing made-to-measure solid wood furniture at affordable prices.
FAB Mass Customization Product Overview
Their exsting offerings are typical interior Design-Objects like:
- Shelving Systems
- Bookshelves
- Libraries
- Room Dividers
- Wall Shelves
- Box Shelves
- Single Shelves
- Wardrobes
- Sideboards
- Chests Of Drawers
- Dining Table
- Desks
- Coffee Tables
- Tabletops
- Stools
- Benches
- Chairs
- Three-Seater Sofa
- Two-Seater Sofa
- Armchair
- Seating System
- Corner Sofa
- Pouffe
- Fabric Sofa
- Leather Sofa
- Single Beds
- Double Beds
- King Size Beds
- Super King Size Beds
- Futon Beds
- Solid Wood Beds
- Upholstered Beds
They are currently using several different configurator Processes with 4 – 5 Steps allowing the user to select criteria like, for example this process for shelf design:
- Total dimensions and wood thickness
- Frame depth, wood type and finish
- Design sections and compartments
- Design touchup and Details
The Site is fully HTML and Javascript technology with focust on allowing older Browsers to make use of the site aswell. FAB Europe is expecting to deliver the products in approx. 8-11 weeks time and ships using free delivery.
Several supportive Services are offered aswell:
- Wood & Material Samples
- Design Service
- Assembly Service
- Measurement Service
- Assembly Instructions
- Care Packages
The Measurement Service is very interesting, since it includeds call-consulting when going trough required Equipment, Measuring The Height And Width, Measuring The Depth, Measuring Shelf Height And Width, Made-To-Measure, Pitched And Angled Ceilings, Measuring The Skirting Board, Designing Your New Furniture
The Configurator and the offerings
The configurator for Tables got 3D Rendered images, allowing FAB to pre-render all possible Combinations.
During loading it gets visible that all possible Variations are already preloaded and prepared up front.
Later the Configurator rearranges the Content to the final look:
This is how German Visitors are now welcomed at FAB EU
Some interesting Details are:
- The launch was several western and northern European markets at once in January of 2014
- The one important internal Tool is VectorWorks. For Models and Mockups
- As an US Company it appears that the european languages are a struggeling factor
- They try to have sales-people that have studied architecture and are payed at fixed/comission based level
Mass customization can be seen as a new frontier in business development for in manufacturing and service industries. A significant increase in variety and customization without a corresponding increase in costs is a key aspect of Mass Customization and Open Customization. At its limit, it is the mass production of individually customized goods and services. At its best, it provides strategic advantage and economic value.
For mass customization companies it can be challenging to find the trade off between flexibiliy of concept, product innovation and product definition, configuration and hands on production.
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