the.world.is.flat-第38章
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distribution center； Wal…Mart needed to deliver those goods in small bunches to each
of its stores。 Itmeant that Wal…Marthad trucks going all over America。 Walton quickly
realized if he connected his drivers by radios and satellites； after they dropped
off at a certain Wal…Mart store； they could go a few miles down the road and pick
up goods from a manufacturer so they wouldn't come back empty and so Wal…Mart could
save the delivery charges from that manufacturer。 A few pennies here； a few pennies
there； and the result is more volume； scope； and scale。
In improving its supply chain； Wal…Mart leaves no link untouched。 While I was touring
the Wal…Mart distribution center in Bentonville； I noticed that some boxes were too
big to go on the conveyor belts and were being moved around on pallets by Wal…Mart
employees driving special minilift trucks with headphones on。 A computer tracks how
many pallets each employee is plucking every hour to put onto trucks for different
stores； and a computerized voice tells each of them whether he is ahead of schedule
or behind schedule。 〃You can choose whether you want your computer voice to be a man
or a woman； and you can choose
English or Spanish；〃 explained Rollin Ford； Wal…Mart's executive vice president； who
oversees the supply chain and was giving me my tour。
A few years ago； these pallet drivers would get written instructions for where to
pluck a certain pallet and what truck to take it to； but Wal…Mart discovered that
by giving them headphones with a soothing computer voice to instruct them； drivers
could use both hands and not have to carry pieces of paper。 And by having the voice
constantly reminding them whether they were behind or ahead of expectations； 〃we got
a boost in productivity；〃 said Ford。 It is a million tiny operational innovations
like this that differentiate Wal…Mart's supply chain。
But the real breakthrough； said Glass； was when Wal…Mart realized that while it had
to be a tough bargainer with its manufacturers on price； at the same time the two
had to collaborate to create value for each other horizontally if Wal…Mart was going
to keep driving down costs。 Wal…Mart was one of the first companies to introduce
computers to track store sales and inventory and was the first to develop a
computerized network in order to share this information with suppliers。 Wal…Mart's
theory was that the more information everyone had about what customers were pulling
off the shelves； the more efficient Wal…Mart's buying would be； the quicker its
suppliers could adapt to changing market demand。
In 1983； Wal…Mart invested in point…of…sale terminals； which simultaneously rang up
sales and tracked inventory deductions for rapid resup…ply。 Four years later； it
installed a large…scale satellite system linking all of the stores to company
headquarters； giving Wal…Mart's central computer system real…time inventory data and
paving the way for a supply chain greased by information and humming down to the last
atom of efficiency。 A major supplier can now tap into Wal…Mart's Retail Link private
extranet system to see exactly how its products are selling and when it might need
to up its production。
〃Opening its sales and inventory databases to suppliers is what made Wal…Mart the
powerhouse it is today； says Rena Granofsky； a senior partner at J。 C。 Williams Group
Ltd。； a Toronto…based retail consulting firm；〃 in the 2002 Computerworld article on
Wal…Mart。 〃While its competition guarded sales information； Wal…Mart approached its
suppliers as if they were partners； not adversaries； says Granofsky。 By implementing
a col…
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laborative planning； forecasting； and replenishment （CPFR） program； Wal…Mart began
a just…in…time inventory program that reduced carrying costs for both the retailer
and its suppliers。 'There's a lot less excess inventory in the supply chain because
of it/ Granofsky says。〃 Thanks to the efficiency of its supply chain alone； Wal…Mart's
cost of goods is estimated to be 5 to 10 percent less than that of most of its
competitors。
Now Wal…Mart； in its latest supply…chain innovation； has introduced RFID…radio
frequency identification microchips； attached to each pallet and merchandise box that
comes into Wal…Mart； to replace bar codes； which have to be scanned individually and
can get ripped orsoiled。 In June 2003； Wal…Martinformed its top one hundred suppliers
that by January 1； 2005； all pallets and boxes that they ship to Wal…Mart distribution
centers have to come equipped with RFID tags。 （According to the RFID Journal； 〃RFID
is a generic term for technologies that use radio waves to automatically identify
people or objects。 There are several methods of identification； but the most common
is to store a serial number that identifies a person or object； and perhaps other
information； on a microchip that is attached to an antenna…the chip and the antenna
together are called an RFID transponder or an RFID tag。 The antenna enables the chip
to transmit the identification information to a reader。 The reader converts the radio
waves reflected back from theRFID tag into digital information that can then be passed
on to computers that can make use of it。〃） RFID will allow Wal…Mart to track any pallet
or box at each stage in its supply chain and know exactly what product from which
manufacturer is inside； with what expiration date。 If a grocery item has to be stored
at a certain temperature； the RFID tag will tell Wal…Mart when the temperature is
too high or too low。 Because each of these tags costs around 200； Wal…Mart is reserving
them now for big boxes and pallets； not individual items。 But this is clearly the
wave of the future。
〃When you have RFID；〃 said Rollin Ford； the Wal…Mart logistics vice president； 〃you
have more insights。〃 You can tell even faster which stores sell more of which shampoo
on Fridays and which ones on Sundays； and whether Hispanics prefer to shop more on
Saturday nights rather than Mondays in the stores in their neighborhoods。 〃When all
this information is fed into our demand models； we can become more efficient on
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when we produce ＇a product＇ and when we ship it and then put it on the trucks in exactly
the right place inside the trucks so it can flow more efficiently；〃 added Ford。 〃We
used to have to count each piece； and scanning it at ＇the receiving end＇ was a
bottleneck。 Now ＇with RFID＇； we just scan the whole pallet under a bubble； and it
says you have all thirty items you ordered and each box tells you； 'This is what I
am and this is how I am feeling； this is what color I am； and am I in good shape'…so
it makes receiving hugely easier。〃 Procter & Gamble spokesperson Jeannie Tharrington
talked to Salon。com （September 20； 2004） about Wal…Mart's move to RFID： 〃We see this
as beneficial to the entire supply chain。 Right now our out…of…stock levels are higher
than we'd like and certainly higher than t
he consumer would like； and we think this technology can help us to keep the products
on the shelf more often。〃 RFID will also allow for quicker remixing of the supply
chain in response to events。
During hurricanes； Wal…Mart officials told me； Wal…Mart knows that people eat more
things like Pop…Tarts…easy…to…store； nonperishable items…and that their stores also
sell a lot of kids' games that don't require electricity and can substitute for TV。
It also knows that when hurricanes are coming； people tend to drink more beer。 So
the minute Wal…Mart's meteorologists tell headquarters a hurricane is bearing down
on Florida； its supply chain automatically adjusts to a hurricane mix in the Florida
stores…more beer early； more Pop…Tarts later。
Wal…Mart is constantly looking for new ways to collaborate with its customers。 Lately；
it has gone into banking。 It found that in areas with large Hispanic populations；
many peoplehad no affiliation with a bank and were getting ripped off by check…cashing
outlets。 So Wal…Mart offered them payroll check cashing； money orders； money
transfers； and even bill payment services for standard items like electricity
bills…all for very small
