But last year they quit. They just asked for bids on a Web site called FreeMarkets OnLine. The benefits go both ways. For instance, these days, customers like Delta, who own Boeing airplanes, can order spare parts on the Web. Delta's happy because delivery cycles are cut down to one day, and Boeing's happy because its processing costs are cut by twenty-five percent.
Logistics management can suddenly and dramatically tilt the balance of competition.
It's the new competitive frontier. Consider the forces I mentioned before that make us play on a deregulated, high-tech, global field. You've got to respond with fluent business that makes distance irrelevant. It's like understanding local culture 4,000 miles away and knowing how to clear its customs, follow its regulations, pay its taxes. You have to adjust your business hours to its work traditions and holidays.