Final Customer Purchasing from the Product Producer

Maintain Steps: Maintain steps include all activities required to keep the product in working order. These steps include the costs the customer incurs to diagnose and correct product problems.

B.
Resources: Reduce resources required for the use of the product

2. Time – Reduce the time the customer must spend with the product

b. Reduce steps the customer must use with the product

Reduce customer steps in the product process
Modify product to reduce maintenance

Intervene earlier in the process to reduce problems

No.	SIC	Year	Note
1	0	2002	Radical new applications of radio frequency identification (RFID) are just beginning to advance. New sensors, transmitters and actuators can detect and transmit new depths of environmental information. Other advances are being made in microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), which have tiny sensors and actuators that can not only pick up information but also act on it.
2	1600	1987	Cathodic protection of bridges and structures such as parking garages works because the electrochemical process prevents salt from reacting with the steel reinforcement. Using a titanium mesh Eltech can protect such construction for 25 years or more.
3	200	1987	Embrex has a prototype machine that can vaccinate 25,000 birds an hour: it vaccinates the eggs rather than hatched birds. This protects chicks at an earlier stage of development.
4	2033	1986	Spraying plant hormones on leaves of citrus trees before harvest will allow navel oranges, lemons and grapefruit to be squeezed into juice without turning bitter.
5	3579	2003	Dell is targeting consumers and small and midsize businesses with its initial printer line. The company's main point of differentiation with rival printers is its automatic low-ink notification system and direct sales of ink cartridges. It hopes to attract customers on convenience.
6	3674	2001	The company says future Athlons will be based on AMD's Palomino design, which enables the use of multiple processors in one computer and adds features like error-correction software. The dual-processing capability is big for workstations.
7	3711	2001	Lexus's operating principle is to decrease the margin for error by 50%. Lexus systemized its part assembling by putting together processes for everything and allowing modern technological innovations to carry them out.
8	3800	2002	Xerox recently introduced a new standard feature on its high-end copiers known as "remote interactive communication," or RIC. RIC is a system inside the copier that monitors the information technology controlling the machine and, using some artificial-intelligence techniques, predicts when the machine will next break down. Once RIC predicts a breakdown will occur, it automatically places a call to a branch office and downloads its prediction, along with its reasoning. A computer at the branch office does further analysis and schedules a repair person to visit the site before the expected time of failure.
9	4512	2004	United Airlines is the second-largest airline company in the U.S. It has recently been focusing on improving its customer service. United's on-time-departure rate now leads the industry. The airline cancels fewer flights than its peers and last year it lowered its once-towering customer complaint rate.
10	6211	2001	Online brokers are rolling out advanced new tools for trading and tracking stocks, appealing to both trading pros and regular investors. A new feature is the ability to place conditional orders. Schwab offers this service in which an investor can program to sell a stock whenever it drops 10%. This moves with the price of the stock, making it easier to use.
11	7372	2001	McAfee sells security subscriptions online, generating ongoing revenue and simplifying the process for consumers. Because the products are sold as a service, the fees are more manageable for companies with a tight budget. The company is offering automatic renewal to further boost income.

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