Recently, I was consulting with a procurement group, one of its OEM customers, and a product engineering firm. The goal was to find ways to reduce the cost of a particular product.

Organizations often have more than one manufacturing site, and each location might have its own specific strengths.

The things I did when I was a kid or young adult are things I would not consider doing as an adult—well, most of them anyway. I started my exploration of transportation equipment with a tricycle. 

Recently, I hired professionals to cut down some large, dead trees near my house. I then used a chainsaw to cut the trees into smaller, moveable pieces that I could chop for firewood. 

What is it about running in and saving the day, like in old Westerns, that individuals and companies enjoy? We may say that we would rather not have such drama on the shop floor, but all too often we set ourselves up for it in the end.

The automotive industry describes its approach to product development and manufacturing in the advanced product quality planning (APQP) process.

The story I am going to relate is true. However, since it is not very flattering, it has been sanitized to prevent finger-pointing. I’m telling this story because you may find yourself in the same circumstances when managing your supply chain, especially one distributed across the globe.