Sanna Pasanen writes in Talouselämä magazine 41/2009 about building construction and design with the head tittle WHO IS AFRAID OF CUSTOMER. This writing raises some very interesting questions concerning the state of production and business strategies in building industry. One could actually claim that building industry follows the other fields of industries a few phases - or decades - behind. As the other industries have allready shifted from the mass manufacturing of goods to mass customization and even beyond, the building industry still seems to adopt the philosophy of Henry Ford. The only difference really is that while Henry Ford provided the customer with only one colour choice of a car, the construction companies give the plenty of three or even five colour or material choices.

As Pasanen writes the customers seems to be more a potential source of problems than a source of ideas to develop the products and services. In Finland there are actually a couple of examples of companies who have given up the production of individual homes as they are too difficult to deliver. This, to my opinion, is an indication of completely misunderstanding the meaning of individual. I am quite sure that individuality can be produced by using a preplanned set of parts if combined with (1.) good design and (2.) good service. Individuality does not mean irregularity or unpredictability. With good design a whole (or even brand) is formed while parts are set up individually. With good service customer is helped to understand the results of the decisions made and guided towards solutions that are economically, functionally and esthetically sound.

In the future the competition in housing industry will be won by providing individuality by combining good design and service. New generations of house buyers will be more and more familiar with technical and social possibilities that web provides. They follow the trends globally and vote locally by using products that they find interesting and individually tailorable to their needs.