a$.$

Develop a more advanced cutting tool to stay ahead of competitors.

b$.$

Adopt a TQM philosophy to reduce waste and defects to near zero.

c$.$

Reduce lead times$($time from customer order of product to customer receipt of$$ product$)$ by$20\%$ in order to increase customer retention.

d$.$

Redesign the robot to use$25\%$ less$$ energy, as part of Vortex$\text{'}$s corporate social responsibility objectives.

e$.$

Benchmark the$$ company's gross margin percentages against its major competitors.