Consolidation of North American distribution points, a major shift from company-owned and -operated facilities to public warehousing, and economies from a little-known program with U.S. Customs helped slash inventory and associated costs for the Audiovox Corp., a consumer electronics company in Hauppauge, N.Y.

When Daimler-Benz decided to tap into the growing demand for sport-utility vehicles with an all-new design, it relied on innovative manufacturing and supply-chain efficiency to bring the product to market at a reasonable cost.