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Spanish clothier Zara turns the rules of supply chain management on their head. The result? A superresponsive network and profit margins that are the envy of the industry.

Rapid-Fire Fulfillment by Kasra Ferdows, Michael A. Lewis, and Jose A.D. Machuca

Reprint R0411G

HBR Spotlight

The 21st Century Supply Chain
Managing the modern supply chain is a job that involves specialists in manufacturing, purchasing, and distribution, of course. But today it is also vital to the work of chief financial officers, chief information officers, operations and customer service executives, and certainly chief executives. Changes in supply chain management have been truly revolutionary, and the pace of progress shows no sign of moderating. In our increasingly interconnected and interdependent global economy, the process of delivering supplies and finished goods (and information and other business services) from one place to another is accomplished by means of mind-boggling technological innovations, clever new applications of old ideas, seemingly magical mathematics, powerful software, and old-fashioned concrete, steel, and muscle. An end-to-end, top-to-bottom transformation of the twenty-first-century supply chain is shaping the agenda for senior managers now and will continue to do so for years to come. With this special series of articles, Harvard Business Review examines how corporations’ strategies and structures are changing and how those changes are manifest in their supply chains.

The Articles
The Triple-A Supply Chain by Hau L. Lee October 2004 The best supply chains aren’t just fast and cost-effective. They are also agile and adaptable, and they ensure that all their companies’ interests stay aligned. Reprint R0410F; OnPoint 8096

Leading a Supply Chain Turnaround by Reuben E. Slone October 2004 Five years ago, salespeople at Whirlpool