Time-based competition is here to stay. Firms wishing to compete successfully must reengineer every function within the value chain. Here is a blueprint, drawn on the author's extensive field research in over 50 companies, that addresses the practical problems and tactical issues faced by executives and managers. Scholars and students of business, operations management, strategic management, international business, organizational behavior, materials management, engineering management, purchasing, and logistics will also find this work an invaluable aid in understanding how to benchmark an organization against the best time-based competitors in the world.

Through visits and interviews with material managers, procurement managers, design engineers and sales personnel, the author has compiled an unparalleled set of benchmarks and best practices in supply chain management. Some of the strategic time-based initiatives discussed include supply chain management, integrated order entry systems, process capability, component life cycle management, electronic data interchange, time-based logistics, automated manufacturing technology, design for manufacturability, and global strategic sourcing. Extra attention is given to supply chain management, a new form of business process reengineering focusing on quick response, spanning the functions of sales, order entry, design engineering, purchasing, manufacturing, and logistics. An examination of how to create a time-based culture based on the experiences of Fortune 500 firms interviewed by the author concludes this richly detailed analysis of time-based competition.