The worldwide financial crisis only slowed down
globalization for a little instant. The KOF Index of
Globalization is pointing upward since 1980, showing a
continuous growth of economic, political and social integration
worldwide [1]. High-wage countries particularly feel the
pressure of a globalized economy in the manufacturing sector.
In Germany, for instance, the number of jobs in this sector has
decreased from 1991 to 2012 by about 3.7 million [2]. In order
to sustain a healthy industrial base and to equalize the trade
balance, high-wage countries need to continuously improve
their manufacturing techniques to defend their competitive
advantage. Since 2006, the Cluster of Excellence “Integrative
Production Technology for High-Wage Countries” of RWTH
Aachen University addresses this challenge by researching
methods of organization and use of technology to enable the
mass-production of highly customized products in high-wage
countries