Case Study on Distribution at Hewlett Packard Even well-managed organizations do not always work as efficiently and effectively as management would like. At Hewlett-Packard (HP), billions of dollars of product are being shipped - from computers and diagnostic devices to toner cartridges each year. Customer orders come in 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Nearly 16,000 different products are requested daily and have to be shipped from six different warehouses which are located 30 or more miles apart. It often takes weeks to get the products into the customer’s hand. This is a serious problem if customers have contracts with HP stating deliveries are to be made in three (3) business days, or less. That means that from the time a customer calls the HP customer service line, they will have their replacement part and be back in operation within 72 hours or less, no matter where that customer is located. On average, delivery to customers 6+ days. It is im