DELL SURVIVING A LOGISTICAL NIGHTMAREWell-known US-based computer maker Dell seems to have perfected the art of making just-in-time computers and supplying them to its consumers The company is known t

Owning warehouses could be a good strategy for Dell to have a backup plan in case of unforeseen events. However, this would affect their business model as it would increase their costs and they would need to invest in inventory management. This could lead to a decrease in their competitive advantage of keeping costs under control by directly reaching the consumer without intermediaries.

The important elements of Dell's contingency plan that made it successful were up-to-the-hour communication with concerned parties, chartering planes to ship foreign parts to the United States at almost half the cost of other companies, calculating the unloading cycle to collect the company's containers as they arrived, and having parts ready and waiting to be shipped to the United States.

To avoid additional expenditure in case of future disruptions, Dell could consider maintaining a closer relationship with its suppliers and having backup suppliers in case of disruptions. They could also consider diversifying their sourcing locations to reduce the risk of disruption in one particular region. Additionally, they could invest in technology and automation to reduce their dependence on manual labor in their supply chain operations