Many companies pursuing lean transformation and continuous improvement are focusing on the customer fulfillment operations to improve quality and delivery while reducing costs. Organizations are working to reduce lead-time, improve quality, and make their manufacturing and distribution operations more efficient in an effort to cut costs. While these improvements are important, they are not sufficient in today's globally competitive manufacturing world. You need to involve your suppliers and operations people in the product development process at the very earliest stages.
Source: Industry Week, http://industryweek.com