Movers and shakers

WHEN Square D's competitors learned of the firm's new strategy, they ridiculed the idea. The plan, leaked to an industry trade journal, was to shrink the time needed to deliver its circuit boards and other customised components used in commercial buildings. At the time (the late 1980s), the typical delivery took from ten to 12 weeks. Square D's plan was to slash that to a week, by holding higher inventories and getting its employees to work overtime. But this seemed ludicrous in an industry that demanded customisation and skilled labour. Fortunately, Square D had one thing going for it: the story was not true.