Personal Factory | Jiro Kokuryo (Dean of the Faculty of Policy Management)

2010.06.21

Just as I was contemplating the meaning and potential of personal fabrication (as advocated by Professor Gershenfeld), I personally received a lithograph from an artist. In addition to the magnificence of the work itself, it has a very special character. It makes me wonder where other prints from the same plate might be displayed, and with its handwritten signature, it has a "one-of-a-kind" feel.

The end of the mass production era is something that has been discussed for decades, so it is not particularly new. However, as long as economies of scale were at play on the production side, the barrier of mass production was difficult to break, with "mass customization" (creating diversity by combining mass-produced parts) being the most that could be achieved. Producers and consumers remained separate. The model of consuming goods made in large factories and purchased cheaply at large stores is still alive and well.

What is now emerging are small, software-controlled machine tools. They suggest the possibility for anyone to engage in "monozukuri" (manufacturing), and a phenomenon similar to how personal computers surpassed mainframe computers due to their flexibility might occur. Furthermore, "designs" may be commercialized, which could lead to a situation where people obtain designs for products they like over the internet and have them made by their own machine tools.

I do not mean to suggest that this will happen on a large scale anytime soon; the hurdles are high when considering the procurement of raw materials and logistics. From a business perspective, and considering the consumer markets in emerging economies that are expected to continue growing, it seems that the mass production and mass consumption paradigm will likely remain dominant for some time to come.

Nevertheless, the idea of personal fabrication is appealing because I sense its potential to provide a means for people to give form to their creativity. Furthermore, with the digitalization of "designs," it seems possible to break through the "personal" barrier, allowing designs to become "social" entities that are shared and evolve. If that happens, it will go beyond a mere technological change and will surely have a significant impact on the very nature of our civilization.

(Date of publication: 2010/06/21)