the.world.is.flat-第34节

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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　fees。　Wal…Mart　had　an　internal　capability　to　do　that　for　
its　own　employees　and　simply　turned　it　into　an　external　business。　
TOO　MUCH　OF　A　GOOD　THING　
Unfortunately　for　Wal…Mart；　the　same　factors　that　drove　its　instinct　for　constant　
innovation…its　isolation　from　the　world；　its　need　to　dig　inside　

itself；　and　its　need　to　connect　remote　locations　to　a　global　supply　chain…　also　got　
it　in　trouble。　It　is　hard　to　exaggerate　how　isolated　Bentonville；　Arkansas；　is　from　
the　currents　of　global　debate　on　labor　and　human　rights；　and　it　is　easy　to　see　how　
this　insular　company；　obsessed　with　lowering　prices；　could　have　gone　over　the　edge　
in　some　of　its　practices。　
Sam　Walton　bred　not　only　a　kind　of　ruthless　quest　for　efficiency　in　improving　
Wal…Mart's　supply　chain　but　also　a　degree　of　ruthlessness　period。　I　am　talking　about　
everything　from　Wal…Mart's　recently　exposed　practice　of　locking　overnight　workers　
into　its　stores；　to　its　allowing　Wal…Mart's　maintenance　contractors　to　use　illegal　
immigrants　as　janitors；　to　its　role　as　defendant　in　the　largest　civil…rights　
class…action　lawsuit　in　history；　to　its　refusal　to　stock　certain　magazines…like　
Playboy…on　its　shelves；　even　in　small　towns　where　Wal…Mart　is　the　only　major　store。　
This　is　all　aside　from　the　fact　that　some　of　Wal…Mart's　biggest　competitors　complain　
that　they　have　had　to　cut　health…care　benefits　and　create　a　lower　wage　tier　to　compete　
with　Wal…Mart；　which　pays　less　and　covers　less　than　most　big　companies　（more　on　this　
later）。　One　can　only　hope　that　all　the　bad　publicity　Wal…Mart　has　received　in　the　
last　few　years　will　force　it　to　understand　that　there　is　a　fine　line　between　a　
hyperefficient　global　supply　chain　that　ishelping　people　save　money　and　improve　their　
lives　and　one　that　has　pursued　cost　cutting　and　profit　margins　to　such　a　degree　that　
whatever　social　benefits　it　is　offering　with　one　hand；　it　is　taking　away　with　the　
other。　
Wal…Mart　is　the　China　of　companies。　It　has　so　much　leverage　that　it　can　grin