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Chapter 7 Process Design > 4. The process can be the product
4. The process can be the product
Sometimes an opportunity for a new business emerges by piecing together components of one industry and gluing them with shards and elements from another, thereby creating an entirely new category. Dallas clothier J. Hilburn is an example of exactly that type of business, one that serves as a model to any company looking to rethink the processes that ready a product for market and the systems that nourish loyal customers.
J. Hilburn: A Retailer with a Little Dell and a Little Avon
J. Hilburn uses processes to create a competitive edge and it is nothing short of cross-industry. The innovative clothier sought to make custom-made clothing more workable, using the direct sales model of Avon and the customability options of Dell. Of course, it’s simple to order from them online (like with Amazon) and the company’s process management rivals Toyota. Its sales staff go to the customer’s place of work or home, the shirts are ordered from China and they are a lot less expensive. Style advisers make commission on whatever they sell after some initial expenses, and they receive a percentage of the sales by any new advisers (with a maximum of five) that they bring to the company. They can’t avoid the process inefficiencies that ....