Manufacturing Transformation toward Mass Customization and Personalization in the Traditional Food Industry

Digital transformation of the manufacturing process in high-tech has been underway for a long time. On the other hand, the transformation in low-tech and traditional industries progresses more slowly. Especially, the human factor is greater in the food manufacturing industry, which retains many more labor-intensive elements. This is because the development of foods was traditionally customized to the cultures of particular regions, so many foods were not suitable for mass production, which has led to the high level of personal skills. However, new trends have been shown recently in the sake manufacturing industry. Head craftsmen at a sake brewery, known as Toji, have managed the entirety of the manufacturing process and determined the length and timing of each process for hundreds of years. In these circumstances, some sake breweries have started to make sake in a new way that breaks with tradition. They implement smart manufacturing and customization to respond to diversified customer needs without altering the product price through the digitization of the manufacturing process and the formalization of personal skills. This chapter also discusses the prospects of this transition and considers its effects on the industry with theoretical framework and social background of manufacturing transformation.