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	Winning Customer Orders Part 1 of 3
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	MARKETS ARE BECOMING INCREASINGLY DYNAMIC, WITH CONTINUOUSLY EVOLVING EXPECTATIONS AND INCREASING SERVICE VARIETY Do you also have that sneaky feeling?   •   that there are suddenly and unexpectedly huge market opportunities "out there" and you find out about them too late while your major competitor may already be talking and trying to sell to that prospect •      that some companies seem to be very successful in very peculiar niche markets •      that new competitors pop up all over the place especially when and where you didn't expect them •      that your prospect/client requires a total solution to his problem rather than the delivery of a product •      that you by yourself cannot deliver what the customer expects be­ cause you're not good at everything •      that all your customers seem to want something new and special, in what appears to be an impossible short time span, and for a lot less money. Markets are increasingly becoming hectic and "hyperdynamic," typi­fied by the following key characteristics: •      increased competition due to globalization, collaborative dynamics (mergers, acquisitions, divestments), deregulation •      ever shorter-lived opportunities and niche markets •      continued progression of customer expectations (specials, value, speed, price) •      faster introduction of new technologies •      increasing societal pressures, e.g., environmental requirements. These phenomena seem to be universal and become progressively present in all industry sectors and geographical regions. Figure 1 illus­trates how some industry sectors (e.g., telecommunications and com­puter applications) are already a decade underway toward hyper dynamics, whereas other sectors, e.g., utilities, have only just begun to get on that same track. Eventually, all market sectors will become substan­tially more dynamic compared to what we were ever used to before. Markets change dynamically, almost overnight. But manufactur­ing and supply chain operations only change when you choose to change, as a deliberately taken decision. Manufacturing and supply chain operations cannot change overnight like markets do, due to the level of investments involved, large expenses, and long lead times to change. Manufacturing and supply chain operations must therefore carefully trade off between being agile enough such that the dynam­ics of the market are reasonably well followed. On the other hand, we must ensure being efficient as we do not want to spend too much in order to achieve that level of agility. For any level of agility there is a price, and those that can choose their supply chains well, as much as possible in line with market dynamics, without overspending to achieve that status, will succeed in capturing the potential of the hec­tic markets of today. In these increasingly unpredictable and uncertain times, it becomes therefore prerequisite to know what—currently and in the near future— can make you win orders with your customers, and deduce from that knowledge if, how, and when to reorganize your operations in general and your supply chain in particular towards success. In the sections that follow, we shall explore these answers progres­sively and conclude with a real-life case. To Be Continued STAY CONNECTED To stay current on Lean Management Basics and Best Practices, subscribe to our weekly MBBP Bulletin... and we'll send you our PowerPoint presentation "How to Survive in an Entirely New Economy."  All at no cost of course.  First Name: Your E-Mail:  Your personal information will never  be disclosed to any third party. privacy policy Here's what one of our 13,000 plus subscribers wrote about the MBBP Newsletter: "Great manufacturing articles. Thanks for the insights. I often share portions of your articles with my staff and they too enjoy them and fine aspects where they can integrate points into their individual areas of responsibilities. Thanks again."                Kerry B. Stephenson. President. KALCO Lighting, LLC "Back to Basics" Training for anyone ... anywhere ... anytime Business Basics, LLC 6003 Dassia Way, Oceanside, CA 92056 West Coast: 760-945-5596  © 2001-2009 Business Basics, LLC