Instead, in a real solution, the measurable value of the integrated whole must be greater than the sum of the parts from the customer’s perspective, as increasingly informed customers will pay only for value perceived and ultimately delivered. There can be no “value invisibility” gap. The heart of each successful solution, McKinsey found, is a special combination of detailed customer understanding, the supplier’s proprietary technical knowledge, and customization and integration of multiple components into something unique that does a superior job of addressing a customer’s most pressing problems.