Wired lists “masters of innovation, technology, and strategic vision – 40 companies that are reshaping the global economy.”
The top 10: Google, Nokia, Yahoo, IBM, Cemex, eBay, Amazon, Microsoft, Vodafone and GlaxoSmithKline.
The surprise? Cemex at No. 5. Here’s what Wired writes: “CEO Lorenzo Zambrano has made Cemex a case study in transforming a hopelessly low tech enterprise into a model of info-age efficiency. He did it by understanding that cement needs technology. It dries a few hours after it’s mixed, so GPS-equipped Cemex trucks make deliveries within 20 minutes. And because it’s costly to transport, tight management of production, inventory, and distribution pays. To that end, the Mexican company’s IT system coordinates operations in 33 countries, allowing managers to identify best practices in far-flung plants. It also helps Cemex quickly fold in new ventures like Arkio, which ships materials to construction sites in Mexico within 48 hours. In the slow-mo building trade, that’s about as just-in-time as it gets.”
