What do Laptop Batteries and Active Supply Management Have in Common?

By now, chances are that you've read about Sony's laptop battery debacle. European leaders Network has a good basic summary of the story of how both Dell and Apple have been forced to recall nearly $270 million (their cost) of Sony batteries. As a result of the recall, Sony's stock price plunged and their brand has suffered in the international market. But the magnitude and size of the recall should not just be blamed on Sony. Given the supposed advanced nature of supply chain management at both Apple and Dell, we should look at these vendors in a similar negative light to Sony. Indeed, they should share in the responsibility for the issue because of their delayed response. Seriously, in today's market, with proactive analysis and monitoring tools available to look at supplier performance, warranty, and service information, why did it take so long for both companies to issue the recall? The issue would have been much smaller had both buying organizations had the ability to sense and respond to supply performance related issues as they were detected, rather than waiting until the issue exploded on the world scene.

- Jason Busch