Bourton Group

Representative product A typical product flowing through a process that is used as the basis for process design. The term is applied in developing manufacturing cells or maps of supply chains with many product variations. (The Bourton Group)... 

Usually, the cost in one company is influenced as much by others in the supply chain as it is by its own operations. Crispin Vincenti-Brown of The Bourton Group represents the situation well when he states "cost is a consequence." In other words, look at costs as a signal of a root cause, not a root cause in themselves. When it comes to costs in the supply chain, ask "why" several times. That process leads to one of several root causes that stand in the way of controlling or reducing supply chain costs. 

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