Facilities layout, lean manufacturing, brand management, value-added activities Some

firms in the fashion industry have adopted lean or just-in-time approaches to maintain or increase

their competitive advantage. Read the following articles or other resources to address the ques-

tions below: Brand-New Bag: Louis Vuitton Tries Modern Methods on Factory Lines (C. Pas-

sariello, Wall Street Journal, October 9, 2006, p. A1) and Zara Thrives by Breaking All Rules

(K. Capell, BusinessWeek, October 20, 2008, p. 66).

Required

(a) Compare Louis Vuittons previous and current processes for making a bag. For example,

how many people and days are required, what are the workers degrees of specialization, and

what improvements have resulted?

(b) How did Louis Vuittons previous process for making bags support the companys value

proposition?

(c) How have practices from competitors such as Zara changed Louis Vuittons view of what its

target customers want? Has Louis Vuittons value proposition changed? If so, how well will

the new process support the companys value proposition?

(d) What performance indicators do you think are critical in evaluating the performance of this

manufacturing operation from the standpoint of customers and the company?