Strategic Business Planning: From Also-Ran to Market Innovator -- A Case Study

by David N. Rasmussen

This is the story about PD Circuits, Inc. (PDC), a small New England business that, for many years, viewed itself as a manufacturing company. It struggled to compete with similar companies around the world by delivering a higher level of quality products than its competitors. Yet it never seemed to be able to differentiate itself much -- even while it achieved near perfection for on-time delivery and customer acceptance. Today, PDC has redefined itself as a new breed of printed circuit board (PCB) supplier, creating a new market niche as a PCB supply chain services manager. How did the company achieve this transformation? What factors created this insight? What role has IT played in the company's success? This Executive Report by David N. Rasmussen describes PDC's journey and the critical success factors for its innovation.