the.world.is.flat-第36章
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vent their grievances。 To put it another way； China will never be truly flat until
it gets over that huge speed bump called 〃political reform。〃
It seems to be heading in that direction； but it still has a long way to go。 I like
the way a U。S。 diplomat in China put it to me in the spring of 2004： 〃China right
now is doing titillation； notprivatization。 Reform here is translucent…and sometimes
it is quite titillating； because you can see the shapes moving behind the screen…but
it is not transparent。 ＇The government still just gives＇ the information ＇about the
economy＇ to a few companies and designated interest groups。〃 Why only translucent？
I asked。 He answered； 〃Because if you are fully transparent； what do you do with the
feedback？ They don't know how to deal with that question。 They cannot deal ＇yet＇ with
the results of transparency。〃
If and when China gets over that political bump in the road； I think it could become
not only a bigger platform for offshoring but another free…market version of the
United States。 While that may seem threatening to some； I think it would be an
incredibly positive development for the world。 Think about how many new products；
ideas； jobs； and consumers arose from Western Europe's and Japan's efforts to become
free…market democracies after World War II。 The process unleashed an
unprecedented period of global prosperity…and the world wasn't even flat then。 It
had a wall in the middle。 If India and China move in that direction； the world will
not only become flatter than ever but also； I am convinced； more prosperous than ever。
Three United States are better than one； and five would be better than three。
But even as a free…trader； I am worried about the challenge this will pose to wages
and benefits of certain workers in the United States； at least in the short run。 It
is too late for protectionism when it comes to China。 Its economy is totally
interlinked with those of the developed world； and trying to delink it would cause
economic and geopolitical chaos that could devastate the global economy。 Americans
and Europeans will have to develop new business models that will enable them to get
the best out of China and cushion themselves against some of the worst。 As BusinessWeek；
in its dramatic December 6； 2004； cover story on 〃The China Price；〃 put it； 〃Can China
dominate everything？ Of course not。America remains the world's biggest manufacturer；
producing 75％ of what it consumes； though that's down from 90％ in the mid…'90s。
Industries requiring huge R&D budgets and capital investment； such as aerospace；
pharmaceuticals； and cars； still have strong bases in the U。S。 。 。 。 America will
surely continue to benefit from China's expansion。〃 That said； unless America can
deal with the long…term industrial challenge posed bythe China price in so many areas；
〃it will suffer a loss of economic power and influence。〃
Or； to put it another way； if Americans and Europeans want to benefit from the
flattening of the world and the interconnecting of all the markets and knowledge
centers； they will all have to run at least as fast as the fastest lion…and I suspect
that lion will be China； and I suspect that will be pretty darn fast。
128
Flattener #7
Sup ply…Chain ing
Eating Sushi in Arkansas
I had never seen what a supply chain looked like in action until I visited Wal…Mart
headquarters in Bentonville； Arkansas。 My Wal…Mart hosts took me over to the
1。2…million…square…foot distribution center； where we climbed up to a viewing perch
and watched the show。 On one side of the building； scores of white Wal…Mart trailer
trucks were dropping off boxes of merchandise from thousands of different suppliers。
Boxes large and small were fed up a conveyor belt at each loading dock。 These little
conveyor belts fed into a bigger belt； like streams feeding into a powerful river。
Twenty…four hours a day； seven days a week； the suppliers' trucks feed the twelve
miles of conveyor streams； and the conveyor streams feed into a huge Wal…Mart river
of boxed products。 But that is just half the show。 As the Wal…Mart river flows along；
an electric eye reads the bar codes on each box on its way to the other side of the
building。 There； the river parts again into a hundred streams。 Electric arms from
each stream reach out and guide the boxes…ordered by particular Wal…Mart stores… off
the main river and down its stream； where another conveyor belt sweeps them into a
waiting Wal…Mart truck； which will rush these particular products onto the shelves
of a particular Wal…Mart store somewhere in the country。 There； a consumer will lift
one of these products off the shelf； and the cashier will scan it in； and the moment
that happens； a signal will be generated。 That signal will go out across the Wal…Mart
network to the supplier of that product…whether that supplier's factory is in coastal
China or coastal Maine。 That signal will pop up on the supplier's computer screen
and prompt him to make another of that item and ship it via the Wal…Mart supply chain；
and the whole cycle will start anew。 So no sooner does your arm lift a product off
the local Wal…Mart's shelf and onto the checkout counter than another mechanical arm
starts making another one somewhere in the world。 Call it 〃the Wal…Mart Symphony〃
in multiple movements…with no finale。 It just plays over and over 24/7/365： delivery；
sorting； packing； distribution； buying； manufacturing； reordering； delivery；
sorting； packing 。 。 。
129
Just one company； Hewlett…Packard； will sell four hundred thousand computers through
the four thousand Wal…Mart stores worldwide in one day during the Christmas season；
which will require HPto adjust its supply chain； to make sure that all ofits standards
interface with Wal…Mart's； so that these computers flow smoothly into the Wal…Mart
river； into the Wal…Mart streams； into the Wal…Mart stores。
Wal…Mart's ability to bring off this symphony on a global scale…moving 2。3 billion
general merchandise cartons a year down its supply chain into its stores…has made
it the most important example of the next great flat…tener I want to discuss； which
I call supply…chaining。 Supply…chaining is a method of collaborating
horizontally…among suppliers； retailers； and customers…to create value。
Supply…chaining is both enabled by the flattening of the world and a hugely important
flattener itself； because the more these supply chains grow and proliferate； the more
they force the adoption of common standards between companies （so that every link
of every supply chain can interface with the next）； the more they eliminate points
of friction at borders； the more the efficiencies of one company get adopted by the
others； and the more they encourage global collaboration。
As consumers； we love supply chains； because they deliver us all sorts of goods…from
tennis shoes to laptop computers…at lower and lower prices。 That is how Wal…Mart
became the world's biggest retailer。 But as workers； we are sometimes ambivalent or
hostile to these supply chains； because they expose us to higher and higher pressures
to compete； cut costs； and also； at times； cut wages and benefits。 That is how Wal…Mart
became one of the world's most controversial companies。 No company has been more
efficient at improving its supply chain （and thereby flattening the world） than
Wal…Mart； and no company epitomizes the tension that supply chains evoke between the
consumer in us and the worker in us than Wal…Mart。 A September 30； 2002； article in
Computer…world summed up Wal…Mart's pivotal role： 〃'Being a supplier to Wal…Mart is
a two…edged sword；' says Joseph R。 Eckroth Jr。； CIO at Mattel Inc。 'They're a
phenomenal channel but a tough customer。 They demand excellence。' It's a lesson that
the El Segundo； Calif。…based toy manufacturer and thousands of other suppliers
learned as the world's largest retailer； Wal…Mart Stores Inc。； built an inventory
and supply chain man…
agement system that changed the face of business。 By investing early and heavily in
cutting…edge technology to identify and track sales on the individual i
