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Reading Between the Lines To Spot the Next Cisco

Your article certainly makes some good points but I wanted to comment on the statement asking why Cisco didn't go to 5 weeks of inventory years ago. In years past, I worked for a company that sold an inventory management solution for high tech manufacturers and repair centers. The complexities are extremely challenging and for a company the size of Cisco, it is quite likely that a reliable solution wasn't available years ago. When a supply chain management solution fails to deliver on its promise, it can be very disruptive and I'm sure Cisco was unwilling to accept too much risk in this area until the technology was more proven. Given the assembly, burn-in and test cycles of complex network equipment, 5 weeks of inventory is pretty slim.