Exporting

The company I work for exports products manufactured in Japan. Now, I'm not going to share with you the kinds of products they manufacture because it's obviously going to reveal the company I work for. What I can tell you that the company runs a very slim operation. The company manufacturers only when we get orders. A sort of warped version of Toyota's supply chain model (no, it's not cars). That's why our customers wait extended periods of time for their orders, because we don't stock inventory. If you overstock inventory, they vaporize you and you don't get your summer bonus.

I must admit, we keep profit levels high. That provides difficulties when you need to acquire new business overseas, because the phrase, "I'm sorry, please wait x months for your first order" oftentimes rewards you with the response, "How long?" I think the next challenge is speedy service. It's sometimes frustrating when everything else in Japan moves in a timely manner, and your company hobbles on manufacturing.