However, significant invesment will typically be required to inerease frequency and repetition.
Over time, the changing nature of the market and available technology serve to alter a
fim's strategic posture. Consider, for example, the steel industry, which was long domi-
nated by processes highly dependent on economy of scale. Recent years have
market acceptance of a wide range of new steel-based materials combined with value-
added services. The Steel Service Center introduced cutting and shaping postponement to
steel distribution as a way to increase customer accommodation. The Nature of basic steel
production has also undergone dramatic change. New process methods are being perfected
that reduce long-time dependence on high-scale manufacturing processes. The combined
impact of these changes in market and process has shifted the strategic posture of steel
producers.