1. Vince Rubiera CIS 621 Land Rover CB40 Key technologies used by Land Rover for their mass customization of CB40: Land Rovers goal was to design and develop a brand new range of compact, sport- utility 4x4 vehicles. 1 The design and development was a challenge they faced, because this newly engineered vehicle needed to be built from the ground up in 30 months. This had not been accomplished in over 50 years and would entail a networked multi-functional project team. As stated by Robertson the goal of producing the CB40 would come from a combination of advanced technology, common sense business process and an integrated team structure.1 In designing and developing the CB40, a networked approach using the CAD/CAM and virtual reality modeling would be their choice for the project. Each designer would input their information on a shared database, being accessed by approximately 150 designers at any given time. They also needed a way to transport all that data. The Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) was implemented from the start of the program in addition to Rover Engineering Data Exchange (REDX), to keep suppliers abreast of what would be needed for the production phase. These networked connections gave Land Rover the ability to communicate with other departments inexpensively, electronically and efficiently. Mass customization became the core strategy for Land Rover when launching the Freelander project. This involved complete integration with the latest technology; allowing consumers to tailor-make individually appealing styles at reasonable prices. Customization assesses each customer individually and satisfies their needs and wants.3 It also offers inventory reduction and decreases manufacturing and overhead costs. Part of Land Rovers mass customization efforts included an extremely risky idea, the possibility of offering customization to their customers through the internet. To accomplish this, they had to increase efficiency of the design process. The vehicle was divided into 10 zones, allowing for better exchange of information amongst engineers. They would all work closely together on each zone. Some of the other efforts Land Rover employed to realize their new strategy included a new type of paint shop; allowing them to reset robot mounted paint guns in 3 seconds. This increases production speed by eliminating a traditional bottleneck.1 They also reduced costs

2. Vince Rubiera CIS 621 Land Rover CB40 and increased speed, by standardizing all redundant components across all models. In an effort to target their core 4x4 customers, they also added an electronic Hill Descent Control System. After 50 years of tradition, their philosophy changed. Land Rover engineered an exciting new vehicle and used that knowledge to redesign the Defender, Discovery and the Range Rover. Now, the key technologies originally used for the Freelander have helped them launch new models like the Range Rover Sport, LR3, and LR2. It has also allowed them to dream of the future with their concept models like the LSX.2 With full IT integration, continued customizable internet offerings and current projects like LAND_e (environmental re-design), Land Rover has proven that technology and innovation can add great value and improve the bottom line. 1 Land Rover Vehicles: the CB40 Project (Case Study) 2 Landrover.com 3 PowerPoint Slides, Dr. Sharma (MKT660 Course Packet)