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The growing level of order customization in steel structure manufacturing has significantly transformed production systems, particularly in welding operations. While high-mix production increases flexibility and responsiveness to customer requirements, it may also introduce process variability, longer changeover times, and a higher risk of welding imperfections. Despite these challenges, the quantitative relationship between customization intensity and welding process performance remains insufficiently explored. The aim of this study is to evaluate the relationship between the degree of order customization and selected welding process performance indicators. The research is based on data collected in a company manufacturing welded steel structures. A structured questionnaire was used to assess the level of customization in individual orders, and the results were combined with operational data related to nonconformities, rework frequency, and lead time. Correlation analysis was applied to determine the strength and direction of relationships between variables. The findings provide quantitative insight into how increasing customization influences welding process stability and quality performance. The results may support production planning and process management decisions in enterprises operating under conditions of high production variability.
Keywords: Order customization ,Welding process performance ,Steel structure manufacturing ,High-mix production ,Welding quality© This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.