20.500.12556/DKUM-96525 Mass customization in practice: Strategic implementation and insights from Polish small and medium sized Mass customization in practice: Strategic implementation and insights from Polish small and medium sized enterprises Implementing a mass customization (MC) strategy in manufacturing enterprises presents an ongoing challenge for both managers and researchers. To remain competitive, managers must consider adopting advanced technologies associated with Industry 4.0 and 5.0 (I4.0/5.0). This study seeks to identify solutions that support strategic decision-making aimed at enhancing the level of MC implementation. The paper begins with a literature review focused on the adoption of MC strategies within European manufacturing enterprises. It then presents findings from a questionnaire-based survey conducted among more than 100 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Poland’s automotive sector. Statistical analysis, including correlation coefficients, was used to evaluate the data. The results indicate that consumer participation in the product design process is the key driver of successful MC strategy implementation in the surveyed SMEs. Furthermore, managers recognized strong correlations between the adoption of I4.0/5.0 technologies—such as automated machinery and real-time data usage—and higher levels of MC capability. The benefits of implementing MC strategies, including increased production flexibility and waste reduction, were also highlighted. The findings offer general insights applicable to SMEs in the automotive industry. mass customisation strategy small sized manufacturing enterprises medium sized manufacturing enterprises consumer participation production flexibility Industry 4.0/5.0 technologies Industry 5.0 automotive industry proizvodna strategija strategija prilagajanja strankam Industrija 4.0 avtomobilska industrija prilagodljiva proizvodnja true false true Fakulteta za strojništvo Angleški jezik Slovenski jezik https://apem-journal.org/ Članek v reviji 2026-01-16 12:27:02 2026-01-16 12:29:58 2026-03-11 11:21:33 0000-00-00 00:00:00 2025 0 0 str. 18-28 no. 1 Vol. 20 March 2025 0000-00-00 Zaloznikova Objavljeno NiDoloceno 2024-12-18 2025-04-19 2025-04-29 658.5 264993795 10.14743/apem2025.1.524 1854-6250 APEM20-1_018-028.pdf APEM20-1_018-028.pdf 1 C4856B5156C2939C2FC2C385C74C6B2C c5101304157d60e298137de5a07329f39f15c72098b25dc685fec65271db274d 89cd11a0-f2ce-11f0-adbf-00155d580e02 https://dk.um.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=202095 https://apem-journal.org/Archives/2025/VOL20-ISSUE01.html 0 98e338ea-f2ce-11f0-adbf-00155d580e02 https://dk.um.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=202096 Fakulteta za strojništvo Advances in production engineering & management 0 0 0