Japan Tobacco International Inc. (JTI), being a member of Japan Tobacco Inc. and the third largest international tobacco company in the world, operates 95 offices, 25 factories, 6 R&D centers and 5 tobacco processing plants in more than 120 countries. All sites are connected by complex and highly efficient networks that are supported and managed on a 24/7 basis. More than 10,000 of the company's total 27,000 employees are engaged in manufacturing and the global supply chain (GSC). JTI's activities include sourcing materials, managing product manufacturing and packaging, directing international distribution, and supporting systems and processes. Such a broad geographic and functional spread offers great challenges to its operations and an unlimited range of opportunities. “The current competitive arena, which includes lean manufacturing, mass customization, and agile manufacturing, places enormous demands on operational capabilities” (Brown, Squire, & Lewis, 2010, p.4192). In general, activities that transform the organization's own resources and attracted by the organization The results of goods and services provided by the organization to the external environment are understood as operations. In addition to the transformation itself, they also include the systematic direction, control and evaluation of the entire range of processes (Slack, Chambers and Johnston 2007). In JTIs, system design decisions, such as the number of products, the breadth of the product structure, and the number of operations in the path, are made globally. However, sometimes local legislative requirements regarding ingredients and packaging differ, time zones, peculiar conditions in transporter contracts, as well as maintenance of the road network must be considered (Gabriel, 2013). The defining characteristic of the 21st century...... middle of paper……STRATEGIES. Studies on the formation and development of regions, (7), 133-141. Retrieved December 30, 2013, from EBSCOHost http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=89016011&site=ehost-liveSaad, G.H., Greenberg, R.H., & Greenberg, P. (2012). Using business process and operations management concepts to improve transparency and protect stakeholder interests. Journal of Accounting and Finance (2158-3625), 12(1), 11-19. Retrieved December 30, 2013, from EBSCOHost http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=76118042&site=ehost-liveIdris, F. (2012). ACHIEVING FLEXIBILITY IN SERVICE OPERATIONS USING THE RIGID FLEXIBILITY FRAMEWORK: AN EXPLORATORY STUDY. International Journal of Business and Society, 13(3), 279-292. Retrieved December 30, 2013, from EBSCOHost http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=85407023&site=ehost-live