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To understand Dell's situation, you have to go back to the start. After being founded in Michael Dell's dorm room at the University of Texas at Austin in 1984, the company mastered the science of supply-chain efficiency. It was a model that made Dell the top-performing stock in the S&P 500 during the 1990s. Because it curtailed its retail store business early on and sold directly to consumers and businesses, Dell could build computers "just in time," which meant that it didn't have to assemble a machine and then let it sit in a warehouse or a retail location until someone bought it. Instead, it generally put together PCs only after customers had already ordered them. That meant Dell could order certain parts for its computers just days before they were needed—and often not pay for them until after the assembled computers were shipped off to customers

derstand Dell's situation, you have to go back to the start. After being founded in Michael Dell's dorm room at the University of Texas at Austin in 1984, the company mastered the science of supply-chain efficiency. It was a model that made Dell the top-performing stock in the S&P 500 during the 1990s. Because it curtailed its retail store business early on and sold directly to consumers and businesses, Dell could build computers "just in time," which meant that it didn't have to assemble a machine and then let it sit in a warehouse or a retail location until someone bought it. Instead, it generally put together PCs only after customers had already ordered them. That meant Dell could order certain parts for its computers just days before they were needed—and often not pay for them until after the assembled computers were shipped off to customers. But in the past few years, Dell has tried to expand its market by selling in stores. That has forced Dell to deal with several new challenges, among them that big chains such as Best Buy and Wal-Mart stock their shelves with a fixed lineup of PCs rather than customizing machines for each buyer. "We've had to change the entire supply chain to build fixed configurations," the company's chief financial officer, Brian Gladden, recently told Technology Review. And retailers order these machines months in advance, not days or weeks. google_protectAndRun("ads_core.google_render_ad", google_handleError, google_render_ad); As a result, Dell must try to figure out over the summer what to charge for PCs that will actually be made and sold during the holiday season. If the price of a major component such as memory chips jumps between July and December, Dell's profits can get squeezed. That's what happened in 2009. Even a plunge in prices can be damaging, because the company hedges many of its component purchases to lock in prices within a certain range. If prices fall way below the expected level, it has overspent for the parts. E-mail Print Favorite Share 12 Related Articles Bringing Down the High Costs of Business Forecasting Cloud-based services now provide a way for companies to plan ahead without relying on cumbersome spreadsheets. But what's a boon for smaller companies is disrupting the market for higher-end solutions. Dating Sites Try Adaptive Matchmaking New software is inspired by algorithms that target online ads or recommend books and movies. The Brainy Learning Algorithms of Numenta How the inventor of the PalmPilot studied the workings of the human brain to help companies turn a deluge of data into business intelligence. Tags business business impact Dell Predictive Modeling To comment, please sign in or register Username Password Forgot my password Adverti

niversity of Texas at Austin in 1984, the company mastered the science of supply-chain efficiency. It was a model that made Dell the top-performing stock in the S&P 500 during the 1990s. Because it curtailed its retail store business early on and sold directly to consumers and businesses, Dell could build computers "just in time," which meant that it didn't have to assemble a machine and then let it sit in a warehouse or a retail location until someone bought it. Instead, it generally put together PCs only after customers had already ordered them. That meant Dell could order certain parts for its computers just days before they were needed—and often not pay for them until after the assembled computers were shipped off to customers. But in the past few years, Dell has tried to expand its market by selling in stores. That has forced Dell to deal with several new challenges, among them that big chains such as Best Buy and Wal-Mart stock their shelves with a fixed lineup of PCs rather than customizing machines for each buyer. "We've had to change the entire supply chain to build fixed configurations," the company's chief financial officer, Brian Gladden, recently told Technology Review. And retailers order these machines months in advance, not days or weeks. google_protectAndRun("ads_core.google_render_ad", google_handleError, google_render_ad); As a result, Dell must try to figure out over the summer what to charge for PCs that will actually be made and sold during the holiday season. If the price of a major component such as memory chips jumps between July and December, Dell's profits can get squeezed. That's what happened in 2009. Even a plunge in prices can be damaging, because the company hedges many of its component purchases to lock in prices within a certain range. If prices fall way below the expected level, it has overspent for the parts. E-mail Print Favorite Share 12 Related Articles Bringing Down the High Costs of Business Forecasting Cloud-based services now provide a way for companies to plan ahead without relying on cumbersome spreadsheets. But what's a boon for smaller companies is disrupting the market for higher-end solutions. Dating Sites Try Adaptive Matchmaking New software is inspired by algorithms that target online ads or recommend books and movies. The Brainy Learning Algorithms of Numenta How the inventor of the PalmPilot studied the workings of the human brain to help companies turn a deluge of data into business intelligence. Tags business business impact Dell Predictive Modeling To comment, please sign in or register Username Password Forgot my password

Between August and September 2010, Aberdeen, a Harte-Hanks Company (NYSE: HHS), surveyed 136 companies documenting their processes and capabilities regarding Global Trade Management. The Aberdeen Group report, Global Trade Management: Strategies for Mastering Trade Compliance and Supply Chain Complexity, reveals that trade compliance teams are actively revamping and augmenting their Global Trade Management (GTM) and specifically their Global Trade Compliance (GTC) programs to stay current with supply and demand fluctuations, growing global operations, increasing operational complexity and risk, and trade lane changes.

"There is no silver bullet for a successful GTM/GTC program -- it is a combination of excellence in the areas of access, enablement internally and externally, process/technology, and proactive planning and execution. When these things are aligned, in proper combination, they yield superior results," explained Bob Heaney, Senior Research Analyst of Supply Chain Management at Aberdeen.

A company's end-of-life processes are crucial when it comes to reducing the amount of kit that gets sent to landfill or illegally exported, but it is at the procurement stage where IT managers can flex their consumer muscle and help to bring about changes in the way IT is manufactured.

In the wake of constant demand and supply market changes driven by recent economic crises, procurement and supply chain professionals are facing higher expectations from management to drive down costs. But a myopic focus on cost savings can have an impact on supply and supplier risk, and can result in the unintended consequence of diluting the total value delivered from that supplier relationship. The key, therefore, is to balance supplier risk with reward to obtain the greatest benefit from suppliers while minimizing risks.

On opening day of COP16, CEO’s of leading global multinationals and the head of WWF joined together to emphasize the urgency of building a low-carbon economy for our global prosperity, health, security and safety. While expectations for COP16 may be dampened from those in Copenhagen, these business leaders showcased the depth and breadth of business commitment to action against climate change as they outlined what they are already doing and how governmental leadership and civil society collaboration can help to accelerate and scale impact.