Being lean is all about reducing time. Seamlessness is the secret to timeliness. This enables us to integrate business systems across the Web and capitalize on the power of the Internet. A simple example illustrates this point dramatically. We have found the most common cause for delay is the repeated handling of data which also introduces defects in the form of errors.
Customers are able to enter their own orders and configure products to their own wants and needs.
And equipment vendors are able to remotely detect the wear on their equipment and trigger maintenance work as required. In the digital factory, middle players are eliminated and communication occurs directly. The manufacturing world becomes very tight and intimate, dependent on the relationship and health of our vendors, suppliers, customers and distributors. While the boundaries of traditional manufacturing have been blurred by linking production seamlessly to both suppliers and customers, massive Internet exchanges drive the procurement of raw materials, maintenance repair parts and finished goods. These exchanges are created by the most powerful industry giants who now collaborate in these new areas while still competing in other areas.