Intel's In the Chips

To meet the American consumer’s insatiable hunger for smartphones and tablets, Intel is fine-tuning its supply chain to meet a rising need for chips to run these gadgets. Instigating the development is Intel’s chief operating officer, Brian Krzanich, who spoke to Reuters about the move last week.

Shortening turn-around time from factories that manufacture the chips is integral to effectively increase output in the “fragmented mobile market,” and could make all the difference in Intel developing more of a competitive edge. Qualcomm and Texas Instruments who manufacture similar processors, namely for the craze-inducing iPad, have come to dominate the market and Intel is optimistic it will regain lost ground by hastening chip output.

As the head of manufacturing until his promotion in January, Krzanich has already lessened the time needed for an Intel plant to be built and ready for production.

"What have I brought to manufacturing? Speed and agility," said Krzanich. "That's exactly what the PC business and exactly what the phone business will need."

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Moving forward, Krzanich will oversee Intel’s IT and human resources departments, as well as day-to-day operations. Krzanich will be a forerunner for the position of CEO in his future with the corporation.

The promotion supports a trend in the endless clamor up the supply chain ladder as a rising number of high-level supply chain managers are advancing to the coveted position of CEO.

With a ruthless eye for detail and deep-seated understandings of the everyday logistics that make companies and whole industries tick, supply chain forerunners are naturally stepping up to fill leadership roles in a range of sectors.