We're going to have MORE mass production, but it's going to be more efficient and with just-in-time production. Yes you'll be able to produce specific tailored products easier, but industrial factories will morph into "universal constructors" i.e. giant 3D printers that can make anything requested by anyone based on a common protocol, priced by volume. Or maybe that's the next next industrial revolution.
I dunno if it will be truly universal, but it will be much MUCH broader and primarily stick to a given material. Think plastics, woods, metals, etc. And those would produce everything, potentially with each of those being close together along with a few assembler factories that exist just to put parts together when they require parts from multiple factories.
We're going to have MORE mass production, but it's going to be more efficient and with just-in-time production. Yes you'll be able to produce specific tailored products easier, but industrial factories will morph into "universal constructors" i.e. giant 3D printers that can make anything requested by anyone based on a common protocol, priced by volume. Or maybe that's the next next industrial revolution.
I dunno if it will be truly universal, but it will be much MUCH broader and primarily stick to a given material. Think plastics, woods, metals, etc. And those would produce everything, potentially with each of those being close together along with a few assembler factories that exist just to put parts together when they require parts from multiple factories.
I can see all of that happening. Predictions are notoriously difficult.