Editing Dell (section)

===Manufacturing===
From its early beginnings, Dell operated as a pioneer in the "configure to order" approach to manufacturing—delivering individual PCs configured to customer specifications. In contrast, most PC manufacturers in those times delivered large orders to intermediaries on a quarterly basis.<ref>Dedrick, J. and Kraemer, K. L. (March 2007) [https://web.archive.org/web/20120427221617/http://pcic.merage.uci.edu/papers/2007/MarketMaking.pdf "Market Making in the PC Industry"], Chapter 10, in Hamilton, Senauer and Petrovic (eds) ''The Market Makers: How Retailers are Reshaping the Global Economy''. Oxford University Press. {{ISBN|0199655871}}</ref>

To minimize the delay between purchase and delivery, Dell has a general policy of manufacturing its products close to its customers. This also allows for implementing a [[just-in-time (business)|just-in-time]] (JIT) manufacturing approach, which minimizes [[inventory]] costs. Low inventory is another signature of the Dell business model—a critical consideration in an industry where components depreciate very rapidly.<ref>Kraemer, K. L. and Dedrick, J. (2002) [https://web.archive.org/web/20120427221617/http://crito.uci.edu/papers/2002/dell.pdf "Dell Computer: Organization of a Global Production Network"], Center for Research on Information Technology and Organizations.</ref>

Dell's manufacturing process covers assembly, software installation, functional testing (including "burn-in"), and quality control. Throughout most of the company's history, Dell manufactured desktop machines in-house and contracted out the manufacturing of base notebooks for configuration in-house.<ref>Company Annual Reports, various years.</ref> The company's approach has changed, as cited in the 2006 Annual Report, which states, "We are continuing to expand our use of original design manufacturing partnerships and manufacturing outsourcing relationships." ''The Wall Street Journal'' reported in September 2008 that "Dell has approached contract computer manufacturers with offers to sell" their plants.<ref>Scheck, J: "Dell Plans to Sell Factories in Effort to Cut Costs", ''The Wall Street Journal'', September 5, 2008.</ref> By the late 2000s, Dell's "configure to order" approach of manufacturing—delivering individual PCs configured to customer specifications from its US facilities was no longer as efficient or competitive with high-volume Asian contract manufacturers as PCs became powerful low-cost commodities.<ref name="statesman1"/>

Assembly of desktop computers for the North American market formerly took place at Dell plants in Austin, Texas, (original location) and [[Lebanon, Tennessee]], (opened in 1999), which were closed in 2008 and early 2009, respectively. The plant in [[Winston-Salem, North Carolina]], opened in 2005 but ceased operations in November 2010.<ref name="theregister.co.uk" /><ref name="bizjournals.com" /> Most of the work that used to take place in Dell's US plants was transferred to contract manufacturers in Asia and Mexico, or some of Dell's own factories overseas. The [[Miami, Florida]], facility of its Alienware subsidiary remains in operation, while Dell continues to produce its servers (its most profitable products) in Austin, Texas.<ref name="statesman1" />

Dell assembled computers for the [[Europe, the Middle East and Africa|EMEA]] market at the [[Limerick]] facility in the Republic of Ireland, and once employed about 4,500 people in that country. Dell began manufacturing in Limerick in 1991 and went on to become Ireland's largest exporter of goods and its second-largest company and foreign investor. On January 8, 2009, Dell announced that it would move all Dell manufacturing in Limerick to Dell's new plant in the Polish city of [[Łódź]] by January 2010.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20130116235908/http://www.rte.ie/news/2009/0108/Dell.html 1,900 jobs lost at Dell in Limerick]. RTÉ New Report&nbsp;— January 8, 2009</ref> [[European Union]] officials said they would investigate a €52.7million aid package the Polish government used to attract Dell away from Ireland.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20130116235921/http://www.rte.ie/news/2009/0108/Dell1.html EU to investigate Dell aid package]. RTÉ New Report&nbsp;— January 8, 2009</ref> European Manufacturing Facility 1 (EMF1, opened in 1990) and EMF3 form part of the [[Raheen Industrial Estate]] near Limerick. EMF2 (previously a [[Wang Laboratories|Wang]] facility, later occupied by [[Flextronics]], situated in Castletroy) closed in 2002,{{Citation needed|date=September 2007}} and Dell Inc. has consolidated production into EMF3 (EMF1 now{{When|date=January 2010}} contains only offices).<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.blythe.org/nytransfer-subs/2000ire/IEP:_The_IE_Professional_No.250_5-17|title=Dell reorganises Irish operations|access-date=November 17, 2011|work=The IE Professional|issue=250|date=May 17, 2000|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110928070625/http://www.blythe.org/nytransfer-subs/2000ire/IEP:_The_IE_Professional_No.250_5-17 |archive-date=September 28, 2011}}</ref> Subsidies from the Polish government did keep Dell for a long time.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.industryweek.com/articles/dell_to_sell_polish_plant_to_taiwans_foxconn_20540.aspx|title=Dell to Sell Polish Plant to Taiwan's Foxconn|agency=Agence France-Presse|publisher=IndustryWeek|access-date=May 8, 2012|archive-date=March 24, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120324221512/http://www.industryweek.com/articles/dell_to_sell_polish_plant_to_taiwans_foxconn_20540.aspx|url-status=dead}}</ref> After ending assembly in the Limerick plant the [[Cherrywood, Dublin|Cherrywood]] Technology Campus in Dublin was the largest Dell office in the republic with over 1200 people in sales (mainly UK & Ireland), support (enterprise support for EMEA) and research and development for cloud computing, but no more manufacturing except<ref name="ida">IDA Ireland website on [http://www.idaireland.com/dell/ Dell] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130110164148/http://www.idaireland.com/dell/ |date=January 10, 2013 }}, visited October 12, 2012</ref> Dell's Alienware subsidiary, which manufactures PCs in an Athlone, Ireland, plant. Whether this facility will remain in Ireland is not certain.<ref>RTE News: [http://www.rte.ie/news/2009/0325/dell-business.html Fears for 70 jobs at Athlone's Alienware facility], March 25, 2009. Checked: October 12, 2012</ref> Dell started production at EMF4 in Łódź, Poland, in late 2007.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www1.euro.Dell.com/content/topics/topic.aspx/emea/corporate/pressoffice/2006/uk/en/2006_09_18_brk_000?c=uk&l=en&s=corp |title=Dell Announces Manufacturing Facility In Poland To Serve Growing Central And Eastern European Markets |website=euro.dell.com |access-date=November 17, 2011}}</ref>

Dell moved desktop, notebook and PowerEdge server manufacturing for the South American market from the [[Eldorado do Sul, Brazil|Eldorado do Sul]] plant opened in 1999, to a new plant in [[Hortolândia|Hortolândia, Brazil]], in 2007.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20080219213123/http://www.dell.com/content/topics/global.aspx/corp/pressoffice/en/2001/2001_02_19_pa_000?c=us&l=en&s=corp Dell Starts Manufacturing Servers in Brazil]. Dell, Porto Alegre, Brazil, February 19, 2001</ref>