the.world.is.flat-第33节

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


cutting…edge　technology　to　identify　and　track　sales　on　the　individual　item　level；　
the　Bentonville；　Ark。…based　retail　giant　made　its　IT　infrastructure　a　key　competitive　
advantage　that　has　been　studied　and　copied　by　companies　around　the　world。　'We　view　
Wal…Mart　as　the　best　supply　chain　operator　of　all　time/　says　Pete　Abell；　retail　
research　director　at　high…tech　consultancy　AMR　Research　Inc。　in　Boston。〃　
In　pursuit　of　the　world's　most　efficient　supply　chain；　Wal…Mart　has　piled　up　a　list　
of　business　offenses　over　the　years　that　has　given　the　company　several　deserved　black　
eyes　and　that　it　is　belatedly　starting　to　address　in　a　meaningful　way。　But　its　role　
as　one　of　the　ten　forces　that　flattened　the　world　is　undeniable；　and　it　was　to　get　
a　handle　on　this　that　I　decided　to　make　my　own　pilgrimage　to　Bentonville。　I　don't　
know　why；　but　on　the　flight　in　from　La　Guardia；　I　was　thinking；　Boy；　I　would　really　
like　some　sushi　tonight。　But　where　am　I　going　to　find　sushi　in　northwest　Arkansas？　
And　even　if　I　found　it；　would　I　want　to　eat　it？　Could　you　really　trust　the　eel　in　
Arkansas？　
When　I　arrived　at　the　Hilton　near　Wal…Mart's　headquarters；　I　was　stunned　to　see；　like　
a　mirage；　a　huge　Japanese　steak　house…sushi　restaurant　right　next　door。　When　I　
remarked　to　the　desk　clerk　who　was　checking　me　in　that　I　never　expected　to　get　my　
sushi　fix　in　Bentonville；　he　told　me；　〃We've　got　three　more　Japanese　restaurants　
opening　up　soon。〃　
Multiple　Japanese　restaurants　in　Bentonville？　
The　demand　for　sushi　in　Arkansas　is　not　an　accident。　It　has　to　do　with　the　fact　that　
all　around　Wal…Mart's　offices；　vendors　have　set　up　their　own　operations　to　be　close　


to　the　mother　ship。　Indeed；　the　area　is　known　as　〃Vendorville。〃　The　amazing　thing　
about　Wal…Mart's　headquarters　is　that　it　is　so；　well；　Wal…Mart。　The　corporate　offices　
are　crammed　into　a　reconfigured　warehouse。　As　we　passed　a　large　building　made　of　
corrugated　metal；　I　figured　it　was　the　maintenance　shed。　〃Those　are　our　international　
offices；〃　said　my　host；　spokesman　William　Wertz。　The　corporate　suites　are　housed　in　
offices　that　are　one　notch　below　those　of　the　principal；　vice　principal；　and　head　
counselor　at　my　daughter's　public　junior　high　school…before　it　was　remodeled。　When　
you　pass　through　the　lobby；　
131　
you　see　these　little　cubicles　where　potential　suppliers　are　pitching　their　products　
to　Wal…Mart　buyers。　One　has　sewing　machines　all　over　the　table；　another　has　dolls；　
another　has　women's　shirts。　It　feels　like　a　cross　between　Sam's　Club　and　the　covered　
bazaar　of　Damascus。　Attention　Wal…Mart　shareholders：　The　company　is　definitely　not　
wasting　your　money　on　frills。　
But　how　did　so　much　innovative　thinking…thinking　that　has　reshaped　the　world's　
business　landscape　inmany　ways…come　out　of　such　a　Li'l　Abner　backwater？　It　is　actually　
a　classic　example　of　a　phenomenon　I　point　to　often　in　this　book：　the　coefficient　of　
flatness。　The　fewer　natural　resources　your　country　or　company　has；　the　more　you　will　
dig　inside　yourself　for　innovations　in　order　to　survive。　Wal…Mart　became　the　biggest　
retailer　in　the　world　because　it　drove　a　hard　bargain　with　everyone　it　came　in　contact　
with。　But　make　no　mistake　about　one　thing：　Wal…Mart　also　became　number　one　because　
this　littlehick　companyfrom　northwest　Arkansas　was　smarter　and　faster　about　adopting　
new　technology　than　any　of　its　competitors。　And　it　still　is。　
David　Glass；　the　company's　CEO　from　1988　to　2000；　oversaw　many　of　the　innovations　
that　made　Wal…Mart　the　biggest　and　most　profitable　retailer　on　the　planet。　Fortune　
magazine　once　dubbed　him　〃the　most　underrated　CEO　ever〃　for　the　quiet　way　he　built　
on　Sam　Walton's　vision。　David　Glass　is　to　supply…chaining　what　Bill　Gates　is　to　word　
processing。　When　Wal…Mart　was　just　getting　started　in　northern　Arkansas　in　the　1960s；　
explained　Glass；　it　wanted　to　be　a　discounter。　But　in　those　days；　every　five…and…dime　
got　its　goods　from　the　same　wholesalers；　so　there　was　no　way　to　get　an　edge　on　your　
competitors。　The　only　way　Wal…Mart　could　see　to　get　an　edge；　he　said；　was　for　it　to　
buy　its　goods　in　volume　directly　from　the　manufacturers。　But　it　wasn't　efficient　for　
manufacturers　to　ship　to　multiple　Wal…Mart　stores　spread　all　over；　so　Wal…Mart　set　
up　a　distribution　center　to　which　all　the　manufacturers　could　ship　their　merchandise；　
and　then　Wal…Mart　got　its　own　trucks　to　distribute　these　goods　itself　to　its　stores。　
The　math　worked　like　this：　It　cost　
132　
roughly　3　percent　more　on　average　for　Wal…Mart　to　maintain　its　own　distribution　center。　
But　it　turned　out；　said　Glass；　that　cutting　out　the　wholesalers　and　buying　direct　
from　the　manufacturers　saved　on　average　5　percent；　so　that　allowed　Wal…Mart　to　cut　
costs　on　average　2　percent　and　then　make　it　up　on　volume。　
Once　it　established　that　basic　method　of　buying　directly　from　manufacturers　to　get　
the　deepest　discounts　possible；　Wal…Mart　focused　relentlessly　on　three　things。　The　
first　was　working　with　the　manufacturers　to　get　them　to　cut　their　costs　as　much　as　


possible。　The　second　was　working　on　its　supply　chain　from　those　manufacturers；　
wherever　they　were　in　the　world；　to　Wal…Mart's　distribution　centers；　to　make　it　as　
low…cost　andfric…tionless　aspossible。　The　third　was　constantly　improving　Wal…Mart's　
information　systems；　so　it　knew　exactly　what　its　customers　were　buying　and　could　feed　
that　information　to　all　the　manufacturers；　so　the　shelves　would　always　be　stocked　
with　the　right　items　at　the　right　time。　
Wal…Mart　quickly　realized　that　if　it　could　save　money　by　buying　directly　from　the　
manufacturers；　by　constantly　innovating　to　cut　the　cost　of　running　its　supply　chain；　
and　by　keeping　its　inventories　low　by　learning　more　about　its　customers；　it　could　
beat　its　competitors　on　price　every　time。　Sitting　in　Bentonville；　Arkansas；　it　didn't　
have　much　choice。　
〃The　reason　we　built　all　our　own　logistics　and　systems　is　because　we　are　in　the　middle　
of　nowhere；〃　said　Jay　Allen；　Wal…Mart's　senior　vice　president　of　corporate　affairs。　
〃It　really　was　a　small　town。　If　you　wanted　to　go　to　a　third　party　for　logistics；　it　
was　impossible。　It　was　pure　survival。　Now　with　all　the　attention　we　are　getting　there　
is　an　assumption　that　our　low　prices　derive　from　our　size　or　because　we're　getting　
stuff　from　China　or　being　able　to　dictate　to　suppliers。　The　fact　is　the　low　prices　
are　derived　from　efficiencies　Wal…Mart　has　invested　in…the　system　and　the　culture。　
It　is　a　very　low…cost　culture。〃　Added　Glass；　〃I　wish　that　I　could　say　we　were　brilliant　
and　visionary；　＇but＇　it　was　all　born　out　of　necessity。〃　
The　more　that　supply　chain　grew；　the　more　Walton　and　Glass　understood　that　scale　and　
efficiency　were　the　keys　to　their　whole　business。　Put　simply；　the　more　scale　and　scope　
their　supply　chain　had；　the　more　things　they　sold　for　less　to　more　customers；　the　
more　leverage　they　had　

with　suppliers　to　drive　prices　down　even　more；　the　more　they　sold　to　more　customers；　
the　more　scale　and　scope　their　supply　chain　had；　the　more　profit　they　reaped　for　their　
shareholders。　。　。　
Sam　Walton　was　the　father　of　that　culture；　but　necessity　was　its　mother；　and　its　
offspring　has　turned　out　to　be　a　lean；　mean　supply…chain　machine。　In　2004；　Wal…Mart　
purchased　roughly　260　billion　worth　of　merchandise　and　ran　it　through　a　supply　chain　
consisting　of　108　distribution　centers　around　the　United　States；　serving　the　some　
3；000　Wal…Mart　stores　in　America。　
In　the　early　years；　〃we　were　small…we　were　4　or　5　percent　of　Sears　and　Kmart；〃　said　
Glass。　〃If　you　are　that　small；　you　are　vulnerable；　so　what　we　wanted　to　do　more　than　
anything　else　was　grow　market　share。　We　had　to　undersell　others。　If　I　could　reduce　
from　3　percent　to　2　percent　the　cost　of　running　my　distribution　centers；　I　could　reduce　
retail　prices　and　grow　my　market　share　and　then　not　be　vulnerable　to　anyone。　So　any　
efficiency　we　generated　we　passed　on　to　the　consumer。〃　
For　instance；　after　the　manufacturers　dropped　off　their　goods　at　the　Wal…Mart　
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