Cost reduction essential to competition: a global look at costs gives the big picture and a big advantage.(SUPPLY CHAIN PRACTICES)(Lexmark International Inc.)(Column)

Industry Week, December, 2005 by Covington, Donna

CAN EFFECTIVE SUPPLY-chain management help deliver substantial cost reductions year over year while continuing to achieve substantial improvements in cash-to-cash cycle time and customer satisfaction? While these objectives can sometimes seem mutually exclusive, at Lexmark, the answer is yes.

We make and sell printers and printing solutions for the home and office markets. Ours is a hyper-competitive industry, and the ability to significantly reduce costs is essential to being competitive.

Over the past four years, we have targeted a significant reduction in both direct and indirect costs each year and have achieved hundreds of millions of dollars in annual savings, delivering greater value for both our customers and our shareholders.

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