ILUMÉXICO: A Built-for-Assembly Supply Chain Strategy

How should the Mexican social enterprise firm ILUMÉXICO restructure its procurement and inventory management system in order to more efficiently serve its mission to “combat poverty through electricity”?
Awi Federgruen, Zhe Liu, Abigail Talcott-Schlaifer  | Winter 2017
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ILUMÉXICO is a Mexican social enterprise organization with a mission to “combat poverty through electricity” by providing access to energy for marginalized, rural areas in Mexico. The firm’s business model is to finance, manufacture, and distribute its products (which include a Household Solar Home System and an Electric Solar Fence for livestock management) to these underserved communities. Seven years after its founding, management is seeking to improve its “built-for-assembly” supply chain strategy. This case provides students with data on the need/demand for ILUMÉXICO’s services, a description of its products, and the challenges presented by its current supply process—and asks them to evaluate how best to restructure ILUMÉXICO’s procurement and inventory management system.

Case ID: 170203

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