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| As discussed in Chapter 3, value is the most critical factor when considering the potential future of a business. Without it, there is no customer because the business has nothing to offer. Value is often defined as the ratio of performance to cost. | VIDEOvd1 |
| Operations, through its resources, creates most of the value contained in products. Not surprisingly, as customer perceptions of value and needs change, the systems creating that value must change as well to keep up. Bicycles provide an excellent example of products that must keep up with different customer perceptions of value and customer needs that change. | VIDEOvd3 |
| Trek keeps up with changing needs through contact with dealers and biking enthusiasts. For Trek, the most important value attribute is quality. This is achieved by combining sophisticated production equipment with skilled employees. | VIDEOvd4 |
| At Trek, one way to ensure value is through product testing. The durability of the frame is one of the most critical tests in designing new bikes. | VIDEOvd5 |
| Because value is determined by customers on a relative basis, comparing alternatives, businesses must find some way to make their quality better than the competition. For Trek, the use of a carbon composite lug provides a more durable frame that is still lightweight. | VIDEOvd6 |
| Trek's production process supports the flexibility required to keep up with customers changes in expectations. | VIDEOvd7 |
| Another example of Trek's technologies that differentiate it from its competitors is its optimum compaction low void (OCLV) process process of making carbon fiber frames. It compresses carbon fibers to provide increased strength of their bike frames. | VIDEOvd8 |