Book excerpt: Manufacturers who want to remain viable in today's dynamic marketplace must have their fingers on the pulse of the ever-changing customer demands for quality products and services. Companies can no longer waste valuable time waiting for policies and plans to trickle down from executive boardrooms - consumers expect timely responses to their needs. J. Paul Peter explores the ways manufacturers can use the marketing function to initiate the alignment of manufacturing processes with customer demands. He gives you a detailed analysis of how marketing fits into various organizational structures and product management systems, bringing pertinent marketing and manufacturing issues to light. His logically flowing structure will guide you through the maze of product development, promotion, distribution, and pricing so you can formulate a successful manufacturing-marketing mix that augments customer responsiveness. Inside Marketing for the Manufacturer you will find methods for researching consumer markets and ways to adjust manufacturing, delivery, and inventory policies based on your findings, case studies that reveal real-world techniques for reconciling the differences between manufacturing and marketing functions, and specific strategies marketing professionals use to develop, implement, and measure their programs. Manufacturing managers of the future need to develop integrated solutions to problems that cross traditional functional boundaries. In order to effectively respond to customer demands, they must understand both the tools and concepts associated with the marketing function. The proactive marketing strategies presented in this book will help manufacturing professionals on all levelsheighten their competitive advantage and continuously anticipate, meet, and exceed the expectations of their customers.