Early last century, mass production was realised with the help of many women and men who had to process, sort and assemble parts by hand. The term consumer goods first appeared in the 1970s and had its heyday in the 1980s/90s. The alleged decline of this industry is an illusion. Purchasing habits have increasingly changed and follow an overall trend which is remodelling the markets in general. Nowadays, consumers know exactly what they want, which makes it increasingly important for producers to understand their customers and fulfil their individual needs. New products must be permanently invented to continue generating incentives. The consequences are shorter cycle times and indivi-dualised products. In addition, consumers and merchants have helped increase price pressure on producers. Ultimately, this means that manufacturers of consumer goods have to work with partners who can provide production-optimised and cost-effective systems and who can react flexibly to the constantly changing markets.