In the early 1990s, manufacturers began to see the value of single enterprise-wide resource planning solutions that integrated manufacturing, logistics, distribution, inventory, shipping and accounting.
The other half worked on the back end, crunching computer code to build systems for order-processing, distribution and inventory flow and to integrate a new Web site tracking system with the existing ones.
Further helping boost profitability, says Ozanian, is O'Reilly's revamping of its distribution centers, which lowers inventory carrying costs and distribution expenses.