"Optimising
Customer Fulfilment"
Imagine being able to choose a car to your exact specification on Monday and have it built and delivered to you in three days! For many customers at the start of the 21st century who did not want to compromise by accepting a car that happened to be in stock, this would have been a delightful experience! They were frequently frustrated by having to wait two months (and often much longer) to have their cars built for them – even thought their particular choice may not have been be in short supply. And the situation in 2005 is not dramatically better, though progress has been made. While some manufacturers had been making efforts to achieve even a fifteen day car, they had met with varying success. This, along with other factors, led to the inception of the three year research project – the 3DayCar Programme. Its overall task was to look at the total system for car production and distribution, and identify opportunities that would make it both more efficient and more responsive to customers needs. The programme started in 1999 and continued to 2001. Three research organisations were involved:
All were (and still are!) experts in distinct aspects of the supply chain, and believed that in combining their expertise and knowledge across the whole process of producing and selling a car, there would be the possibility for innovative research and spectacular improvements. Some 22 organisations operating in the automotive sector sponsored the programme, with significant support from the UK Government's university research funding body, the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council.
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