DELIVERY Delivery refers to how well the product or service is brought to the customer. It includes
speed, accuracy, and care throughout the process. Today’s customers have grown to expect speed:
pizza delivered in one-half hour, eyeglasses made in one hour, cars lubricated in 15 minutes. Many
firms have computerized quick response systems (QRS) that link the information systems of their
suppliers, manufacturing plants, distribution centers, and retailing outlets. Cemex, a giant cement
company based in Mexico, has transformed its business by promising to deliver concrete faster than
pizza. It equips every truck with a global positioning system (GPS) so dispatchers know its real-time
location. If your load is more than 10 minutes late, you get up to a 20 percent discount.14