Volkswagen: one modular toolkit for dozens of models across its brands
VW launched its MQB toolkit in 2012 expecting 20% lower production costs; it built over 32 million cars in ten years, yet the VW…
Levi Strauss & Co.: a jeans maker that closed its own factories and managed suppliers instead
As sales fell from US$7.1bn to US$4.1bn, Levi's shut its last North American plants in 2003 and moved its sewing to contract factories in…
Zara: how a supply chain kept close to home made fast fashion fast
Zara kept much of its production near Spain and committed only about 15% of stock in advance, which helped Inditex reach €38.63 billion of…
Toyota: building a production system around flow and quality
Toyota built a system of just-in-time production and line-stopping quality control after a 1950 crisis cost 2,146 jobs, then tested it in a 1984…
