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"We had made some pretty fantastic progress on the sales side and were lagging in procurement, and I was goading our team to get with the program," Dell recalls. That set the wheels in motion. Now, dozens of suppliers - representing 90% of Dell's purchasing - have been hard-wired into the company. Since June, those suppliers have been able to see exactly what parts Dell needs today and how many it expects to need in the coming weeks. - Business Week E.BIZ/September 18, 2000