By services Mitchell means anything beyond matching suppliers with customers--such as providing financing, on-site inventory management, parts-tracking software and chip programming.

FORBES: Stuck in the Middle

Express tried letting a big distributor (which Pham won't identify) manage its component inventory on-site but eventually dropped the service because it figured it could manage on its own.

FORBES: Stuck in the Middle

Jack Abraham, after matriculating as an undergraduate at Wharton, popped by his office weekly with new business ideas, says Lodish, before stumbling on a consumer facing inventory and pricing site as a junior.

FORBES: Wharton Professor's Winning Streak

But production wasn't interrupted, because Flex keeps two weeks of Xbox parts inventory at or near its Guadalajara site, and parts suppliers nearby keep another two to four weeks of inventory on hand.

FORBES: The Detour Economy