What Is the Difference Between Custom Manufacturing and Mass Production?

Custom manufacturing vs mass production: what's the difference? Custom manufacturing produces parts built to one buyer's specific design, usually in small quantities, sometimes just a single unit, with tooling and setup chosen to fit that particular job. Mass production runs a single, unchanging product design continuously at very high volume, using dedicated tooling built specifically for that one part, which only becomes cost effective once quantities reach the thousands or more. The tradeoff is speed and flexibility versus per unit cost: custom manufacturing can start quickly with no upfront tooling investment, while mass production needs a large upfront commitment before the first part ever gets made.

Most products actually begin as custom manufactured prototypes before a company decides whether volume justifies moving to mass production. Entag serves that earlier stage, custom and low to mid volume work, rather than dedicated mass production lines.

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