Customers as Designers
http://www.useit.com/alertbox/20000611.html

Nielsen, Jakob
Alertbox
2000

Abstract:

The change to customer-designed products is based on the ability to connect the user interface to the manufacturing backend through a computer. As the product is manufactured, the computer knows what customer it is intended for, what that customer specified, and how to track the product through the manufacturing process so that it can be shipped directly to the desired destination. No inventory (one of the business benefits of custom manufacturing).