In years past, manufacturers were the drivers of the supply-chain — managing the pace at which products were manufactured and distributed. Today, customers are calling the shots, and manufacturers are scrambling to meet customer demands for options / styles / features, quick order fulfillment, and fast delivery.Manufacturing quality — a long-time competitive differentiator — is approaching parity across the board, so meeting customers’ specific demands for product delivery has emerged as the next critical opportunity for competitive advantage.

Companies that learn how to improve management of their supply-chain will become the new success stories in the global marketplace. Benchmarking studies show significant cost differences between organizations that exhibit best-in-class performance and those with average performance.