ILLINOIS TOOL WORKS: DEAN OF LEAN Small is certainly beautiful for Illinois Tool Works. The $5 billion company has become a highly profitable supplier of choice for almost every industry--making thousands of components and products from adhesives and auto-door handles to spray guns and paper-packaging gear. Extreme decentralization, combined with a global push, lies at the heart of its success. By splitting into 365 operating units in 34 countries--with just 100 staffers back at headquarters--its local units react far faster to customer needs.

Updated June 15, 1997 by bwwebmaster
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