For two decades after World War II, mass production reigned supreme. Mass-production techniques pushed companies into standardized products, long product life cycles, and rigid manufacturing, emphasizing efficiency and low cost over flexibility. Special orders cost more. But today's consumers are very choosy. They want quality, value and products specially tailored to their needs, but always at the lowest possible price. For now mass customization has come to the fore. Mass customization uses information technology to produce and deliver products and services designed to fit the specifications of individual customers. Companies can customize products in quantities as small as one with the same speed and low cost as mass-production methods. Mass-customization systems use information taken from the customer to control the flow of goods.
We learn from the passage that mass production _____.
has now regained its previous popularity
was the leading method of production in the twenty years or so that followed World War II
can easily be adapted to meet the needs of individual customers
can be very profitable because of the wide appeal of its goods
gives priority to quality and longevity in the goods produced but ignores aesthetic qualities
We learn from the passage that one of the characteristics of mass production is _____.
the need to please every customer
a disregard for flexibility
a disregard for cost-effectiveness
to take into consideration the specifications given by individual customers
the rescheduling of production as the need arises
According to the passage, present-day customers _____.
are encouraged to buy ready-made goods available in the shops
are pleased far more easily than customers were in the past
do not attach much importance to production methods
specify what they want and insist on getting it
rarely distinguish between standardized and non-standardized goods
The point is made in the passage that mass customization _____.
is no more costly and no more time-consuming than mass production
is a system that dates back to the end of World War ll
has actually never been as popular as mass production
is primarily concerned with efficiency but overlooks quality