In today's increasingly competitive environment it is no longer suffic
ient for suppliers to merely keep prices low and to supply sufficientl
y pure products in order to win and keep customers. In modern factorie
s, a range of other factors are just as important - such as prompt del
ivery of products with precisely-tailored characteristics. This requir
es effective communication between supplier and customer and adoption
throughout the corporate structure of a continuous-improvement, servic
e-orientated philosophy.