Intermediary Customer Purchasing from the Product Producer

Obtain Steps: The Obtain steps include all activities preceding the selling of the product. These activities include the costs of identifying potential suppliers and stocking the product.

B.
Resources: Reduce resources required for the use of the product

2. Time – Reduce the time the customer must spend with the product

b. Improve wait times in the process
Reduce wait times in the process

Speed the process

No.	SIC	Year	Note
1	2389	1987	U.S. apparel manufacturers use computerized inventory & ordering networks to create powerful networks that tie together domestic mills, truckers, cutters & customers. Result: U.S. mills can deliver fabric in 1/3 the time it takes to come from Taiwan.
2	2389	2004	Latin American clothing manufacturers will soon face increased competition as U.S. legislation dismantled the tariff system. Koramsa is investing millions to speed up production and variety. The company can churn out 90 styles at a time in every imaginable color and finish and transport the goods to Miami in just two days. Orders can be adjusted later and the company hopes this flexibility will win over buyers who may lean towards cheaper Chinese products.
3	2511	2004	In order to combat the flow of cheaper furniture imported from China, U.S.-based manufacturers are offering speedier delivery on custom pieces which make up 30% of units sold. The products once took from 8-12 weeks to be delivered. Century Furniture is offering made-to-order home-office furniture that could ship within two weeks; Berkline/Benchcraft reduced its sofa delivery to 20 days. Furniture Brand's Lane Home Furnishings has reduced delivery time on custom upholstery goods to 30 days. Rowe furniture leads the industry with shipping its customized sofas in just 10 days. Wood furniture manufacturers are following suit. Custom goods from Asia take at least five to six weeks to arrive. They are improving the production process to speed these times.
4	3845	1990	Baxter delivers to a major hospital's definition of on-time delivery: they discussed how much of the delivery had to be on the first truck.
5	6141	2003	New Century Financial Corp expanded to the East Coast and the loan production has nearly doubled in the last year. The company also debuted a new technology initiative called FastQual which cuts the time it takes to make underwriting and pricing decisions. It reduces the likelihood brokers will shop around for another lender.
6	7800	2005	Digital cinemas would save Hollywood studios millions by lowering distribution costs. Theater owners would benefit from the high-quality movies and the ability to show live events on the screens. While conventional films have to be shipped, digital films can be sent via broadband cable or satellite. Movies would be delivered quickly to all areas, undercutting one of the motivations for movie piracy. Digital Cinema Initiatives has laid out the final tech standards which will ensure industry compatibility.

<<Return to Obtain Steps