Final answer:
Alex expects to enhance customer satisfaction, gain flexibility in the market, reduce inventory costs, and improve cash flow by reducing lead times from shipping from 4 months to 4 weeks.
Step-by-step explanation:
By reducing lead times from 4 months to 4 weeks, Alex expects to gain several competitive advantages in the business marketplace. These benefits include enhancing customer satisfaction through faster delivery times, increasing flexibility in responding to market changes, and potentially reducing inventory costs due to a more efficient supply chain. By decreasing the lead time, Alex can also improve cash flow as the time between paying for production materials and receiving payment from customers is reduced. Moreover, a shorter lead time can result in fewer missed sales opportunities due to products not being available when the customer is ready to purchase.