The Prosumer

Expanding on the previous posts that discussed Individualized Status Stories garnered from Custom Mass Manufacturing, this article introduces a new term, the Prosumer:

Coined by futurist author Alvin Toffler in his 1991 book Third Wave, the term prosumer refers to a 22- to 42-year-old consumer activist. Specifically, a prosumer is a consumer who becomes involved in the design and manufacture of products and services so they can be made to individual specification. This term reveals that consumers are no longer a passive market upon which industry can dump consumer goods, but a viable part of the creative process.
Prosumers revel in options, and want to feel they are doing the smart thing. What's smart depends on the context and the individual, but typically means being well informed, knowing what's available and checking out the opinions of others. When it comes to consumption, prosumers regard low prices as smart, unless they're trumped by better value for a higher price, where value includes elements such as customer service, design and brand.

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Relevant ranking: CAM software market leaders named by CIMdata

Manufacturing Business Technology - Oak Brook,IL,USA
CNC Software was the leader on the basis of industrial seats shipped, and Planit Holdings was the leader on the basis of industrial seats installed. Link

Falling US Dollar Offers Modest Rise in Business - MFG.com

Ten Links (press release) - Novato,CA,USA
... of more than 300 manufacturing processes including CNC machining, metal stamping, forging, plastic molding, metal fabrication, and metal casting. Link

C-Shirt: T-Shirts, But Way Cooler With CC

Many thanks to Steve M for pointing this very cool posting on the CC blog about a Japanese t-shirt company taking mass customization to the next level!

From the post:

First, the conventional idea: users submit t-shirt designs which can be viewed online and ordered for printing. However, the twist is that since all the designs are placed under CC, Nota provides an interface with which to edit and reproduce these designs accordingly.

Even better, the service is outfitted to work with some enabled mobile devices, so if you see a shirt you like on the street, you can scan the Quick Response (QR) code included on each design with your phone, which will capture a unique address where you can load and edit the t-shirt before getting it yourself.
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