The real bottleneck
The delays were not in manufacturing or international freight. They were in clearance and inland transport, which had been treated as someone else's responsibility at the point where the shipment landed.
Planning the whole journey
Treating supplier despatch through to site delivery as one plan removed the handover points where consignments previously stalled.
Buffer where it matters
Buffer stock was held only against components whose failure stops production, which kept working capital proportionate to the risk being managed.
