Giving customers the car they want [automotive order-fulfillment strategy]

The strategies adopted by the automotive industry for order fulfillment are discussed. Vehicle manufacturers (VM) need ways to shorten the cycle from order taking to delivery of vehicle to the customers. The Internet and integrated information systems have helped the VMs in maintaining the production schedule. When a customization service is offered, the customer can select, combine and configure attributes of a vehicle rather than accept a selection from a pre-configured set of variants. The objective for managing the pipeline in a virtual-build-to-order (VBTO) system is to satisfy customers by matching their specification and lead-time expectations.