Manufacturers meet globalization challenges with new supply chain practices, technology

摘要

Several hundred of the world s leading telephone and communications companies - including three-quarters of the top 20 broadband service providers - rely on advanced technology from San Jose, Calif.-based electronics manufacturer Redback Networks to meet subscribers' demand for highspeed Internet connectivity. Until recently, that required holding caches of spare parts inventory at 60 locations around the world. No more. Working with D.W. Morgan Co., a Pleasanton, Calif.-based supply chain consulting firm, Redback whittled its global stocking locations down to 30 while improving its ability to get parts to customers when they need them. Profits have soared as well, with sales tripling, the dollar amount of inventory held remaining constant, and expenses related to expedited shipments virtually disappearing.