It used to place orders closer to the key selling period, which allowed it to get a sharper sense of demand and better manage its cash.

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The key to our business was getting large initial orders from a customer and cashing their check quickly so the customer viewed their investment as sunk cost.

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As I noted earlier, these developments have spurred investors to bid up shares of key equipment suppliers to the industry, including Xyratex and Intevac, in anticipation of orders to both replace equipment damaged in the floods and to beef up production in places outside Thailand.

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