Until the late 1980s, Cemex's operations looked just as chaotic as every other company's did. Customers can change orders at the last minute and still receive on-time shipments. The market rewards super service by letting Cemex charge higher prices. Go back to what Weyerhaeuser did with its door factory. Weyerhaeuser escaped the downward price spiral that usually comes with a commodity product.
Many companies try to compete by offering products with different capabilities.
When that approach falls apart, they try to compete by lowering their prices. They beat themselves up over features, or they cut prices like crazy to get month-end sales spikes. With value networks, you differentiate yourself not just on product attributes but also on service capability. That capability is based on a collaborative set of relationships, so it's more sustainable and harder to replicate. An effective value net creates a competitive advantage that's probably worth a lead of one to two years over your competitors.