Challenges and Research Needs in the Offer Phase of Special-Purpose Machinery and Plant Engineering: A Qualitative Study With Industry Experts

Customization is an important competitive factor that enables companies to serve their customers better and succeed in an increasingly demanding and diverse market world. Instead of producing mass products for a broad target group, products or services are designed and produced to meet customers' individual needs and preferences. However, this also confronts companies with the challenge of meeting the diversity of customer needs. The special-purpose machinery and plant engineering industry, a major European and especially German industry, is the industry considered in this article. To analyze the challenges in more detail, the authors conduct an interview study with experts from this industry. This article examinesthe challenges faced by the experts during the offer phase, when the first design of a customized machine is created, and the phase that determines the company's success. Relevant literature is discussed, and gaps in research are identified.