Zara has earned high marks for its agile supply chain. Despite its success, manufacturers heavily invested in Lean believe that the retailer’s approach could never work for them. What are the misconceptions about agility and how can they be overcome?
While recently talking to a senior supply chain executive from a U.S.-based CPG manufacturer, the conversation turned to Zara’s customer responsive, agile supply chain—a strategy that is based on the use of local suppliers, large amounts of spare distribution center capacity and strategically placed time-based buffers.
