Menu

The Power of Adaptability: Gaining a Competitive Edge

July 25, 2023

The Power of Adaptability: Gaining a Competitive Edge

By Victor Hester, Vice President Operations

In today's ever-changing business landscape, one thing remains constant: the need to embrace change. I am referring to the broader concept of CHANGE itself. The world is continuously evolving, presenting both challenges and opportunities for businesses to stay relevant and engage with their customers. In this blog post, I will argue that the ability to swiftly adapt to new challenges is a significant competitive advantage for any company - a concept I like to call "quick to change."

Once a customer is acquired, it is crucial to retain their loyalty and avoid the need for constant replacement. Losing a customer not only costs valuable time, but also incurs significant expenses. To build strong relationships, it is essential to understand your customers' current issues and remain attuned to the changes occurring in their marketplace. This mindset of being quick to change enables you to meet customers where they are, rather than being limited by your own capabilities.

Resilience

Imagine a scenario where a customer reaches out, expressing their need to transition from large quarterly shipments to more frequent smaller shipments, due to the elimination of their warehouses. Responding with inflexible statements like "We don't do that" or "We've always done it this way" will likely result in losing the customer. Instead, view this as an opportunity to address their real business issue and provide a solution. By recognizing these opportunities, you can strengthen your ties with customers and deepen their loyalty to your business.

It is crucial to acknowledge that if you are unable to provide the desired solution, someone else will. This is why it is not just about change, but about being "Quick to Change." In reality, most customer issues have already been solved by other vendors. If you can offer a comparable solution within a short timeframe, you can prevent customers from moving their business to a competitor. The last thing you want is for customers to choose between staying with you and waiting for a long time to get what they need, or swiftly switching to a new vendor who can fulfill their requirements immediately.

As the VP of Operations at One Stop Systems, Inc., I experienced firsthand the power of being quick to change. During the COVID-19 pandemic, a customer approached us with a need for better availability. Over the next two months, we collaborated closely to address their requirements. We increased our inventory levels, with the understanding that they would be responsible for the excess stock. Additionally, we implemented a KANBAN system to automate replenishment. By resolving the availability issues, the customer was able to sell more and enhance their overall performance.

Adaptability

Being quick to change is a market advantage that requires breaking free from rigid traditions and embracing flexibility. It means actively listening to your customers' issues and having a dedicated team capable of making necessary trade-offs when customers bring forth challenges. However, it is important to recognize that not every issue can or should be solved. Some may lie outside your core competency, or prove to be too diversionary. Making decisions based on the company's strategic direction and aligning them with the ask is key, rather than falling back on excuses like "we don't do that today" or "that's not how we've always done things."

By embracing the quick-to-change mindset, your company can gain a competitive advantage over vendors who are unwilling, or lack the ability to adapt swiftly. This mindset should always be at the forefront, driving you to stay close to your customers, deeply understand their issues, and proactively mitigate new changes in their market. By doing so, you can offer not just help, but prompt and effective assistance. 


Click the buttons below to share this blog post!

Return to the main Blog page





Also in One Stop Systems Blog

Uncle Sam Wants GP(You)!
Uncle Sam Wants GP(You)!

January 28, 2026

The character of modern warfare is being reshaped by data. Sensors, autonomy, electronic warfare, and AI-driven decision systems are now decisive advantages, but only if compute power can be deployed fast enough and close enough to the fight. This reality sits at the center of recent guidance from the Trump administration and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, who has repeatedly emphasized that “speed wins; speed dominates” and that advanced compute must move “from the data center to the battlefield.” 

OSS specializes in taking the latest commercial GPU, FPGA, NIC, and NVMe technologies, the same acceleration platforms driving hyperscale data centers, and delivering them in rugged, deployable systems purpose-built for U.S. military platforms. At a moment when the Department of War is prioritizing speed, adaptability, and commercial technology insertion, OSS sits at the intersection of performance, ruggedization, and rapid deployment. 

Continue Reading

Rugged High Performance Edge Compute: Delivering Maritime Dominance at the Speed of Need
Rugged High Performance Edge Compute: Delivering Maritime Dominance at the Speed of Need

January 21, 2026

Maritime dominance has long been a foundation of U.S. national security and allied stability. Control of the seas enables freedom of navigation, power projection, deterrence, and protection of global trade routes. As the maritime battlespace becomes increasingly contested, congested, and data-driven, dominance is no longer defined solely by the number of ships or missiles, but by the ability to sense, decide, and act faster than adversaries. Rugged High Performance Edge Compute (HPeC) solutions have become a decisive enabler of this advantage.

At the same time, senior Department of War leadership—­­including directives from the Secretary of War—has made clear that maintaining superiority requires rapid integration of advanced commercial technology into military platforms at the speed of need. Traditional acquisition timelines measured in years are no longer compatible with the pace of technological change or modern threats. Rugged HPeC solutions from One Stop Systems (OSS) directly addresses this challenge.

Continue Reading

OSS Announces New Partnership with Leading U.S. Defense Prime to Develop Enhanced Integrated Vision System for U.S. Army
OSS Announces New Partnership with Leading U.S. Defense Prime to Develop Enhanced Integrated Vision System for U.S. Army

January 07, 2026

Initial design and prototype order valued at approximately $1.2 million

Integration of OSS hardware into prime contractor system further validates OSS capabilities for next-generation 360-degree vision and sensor processing solutions

ESCONDIDO, Calif., Jan. 07, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- One Stop Systems, Inc. (OSS or the Company) (Nasdaq: OSS), a leader in rugged Enterprise Class compute for artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML) and sensor processing at the edge, today announced it has received an approximately $1.2 million pre-production order from a new U.S. defense prime contractor for the design, development, and delivery of ruggedized integrated compute and visualization systems for U.S. Army combat vehicles.

Continue Reading

You are now leaving the OSS website