Book:Building to Customer Demand

Author: Thomas F. Wallace， Robert A. Stahl

Version: June 2005

The process of building to customer demand has enabled companies:
·        to ship a wide variety of products
·        provide very short lead times
·        carry little or no finished goods inventory and thereby to compete effectively with offshore manufacturers.

"Tom Wallace and Bob Stahl have hit the nail on the head! What they describe is how we do it at Dell - and it certainly works for us."
----Greg Kelly, Director, Americas Order Fulfillment, Dell Inc.
 
"Tom Wallace and Bob Stahl have done it again. Building to Customer Demand should have a significant impact on the future of supply chain management."
----Dave Reed, President, Little Tikes, A Division of Newell Rubbermaid
 
Topics include:
·        Eliminating Trade-Offs
·        The Concept of Postponement: Finishing the Product Only after Receipt of the Customer Order
·        The Speed/Simplicity Matrix: Getting from Where You Are to Postponement
·        Tools for Postponement:
·        Lean Manufacturing
·        Modular Product Design
·        Sales & Operations Planning
·        Two-level Master Scheduling
·        Finishing Product Outside the Plant - Closer to the Customer
·        The Critical Role of the "Outside Factory" - the Suppliers
·        Implementing Postponement: How to Make It Happen
·        Key Performance Indicators for Postponement