Following a comprehensive information management research study on over 745 companies examining maturity, trends and direction, Ventana Research has released its results and announced an upcoming webinar to discuss findings.

“Our research found that organizations are striving towards more accurate and comprehensive information on which to base their important business decisions. The research shows businesses are ready to transform into information driven organizations in 2007 and beyond through advanced use of technology.” said Mark Smith, CEO and EVP of Research at Ventana Research.
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Shula Neuman
New research has confirmed the market’s link of suppliers and customers across industries. When good fortune smiles on a company, the stock market responds by valuing the firm more favorably. It’s well known that good news for one firm means other companies in the same industry will be affected as well. But according to new research from business professors at Washington University in St. Louis, The Ohio State University and University of Rochester, we can anticipate something else that isn’t as obvious: there’s also a predictable connection between news announcements of a company and its suppliers or customers.
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Tom Zosel Associates, Ltd. (TZA) has combined its deep distribution operations and workforce management experience to launch a Training Division.

Available on-site at the client’s facilities or at TZA University in Long Grove, IL, the programs focus on the integration of logistics best-practices with human resource management and development and are targeted for associates, supervisors and managers. The curriculum has been designed, developed and facilitated by training specialists with extensive consulting and operational experience to provide participants with the tools they need to achieve the optimal performance levels. Through live presentations, case studies, thought-provoking exercises, and guided discussions, participants will be exposed to new tools, strategies and concepts that they can implement immediately on return to their businesses.
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By Sarah Murray and Andrew K. Reese

Years of surveying and conversations with readers have shown that busy executives turn to an industry magazine like Supply & Demand Chain Executive for essentially two reasons: to learn how to solve problems that they know they have, and to learn about solutions for problems they didn’t even know they had. The mission of this magazine, then, is to provide targeted information to help corporate executives and other supply and demand chain management professionals as they enable their supply chains for competitive advantage.

As part of this mission, each year the magazine uses its Supply & Demand Chain Executive 100 feature to make its readers aware of those enablers that are leading the way in providing cutting-edge solutions and services to help enterprises address pain points in their supply chains through the application of new technologies and new processes.
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Quit Giving It Away! The quickest way to lose margin and money? Pricing quotes.By Louis Columbus

Manufacturers are leaving money on the table by not paying attention to bringing more accurate and timely pricing into their quotes.

In discussions with dozens of manufacturers, a simple truth emerges: Quoting systems, even the most manual, are the lifeblood of any sales pipeline. Pricing has become the competitive weapon of choice in many industries; however, it’s the last differentiator in several consolidating markets.
With such a critical role in defining profitability, pricing is getting much attention this year, from the CEO level down.
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New Aberdeen study confirms that companies with the best supplier visibility and performance measurement programs outperform the rest of the pack.
By Sudy Bharadwaj, Supply Chain Management Review, October 2006

Efforts to cut costs have put a strain on supply chains today. Techniques such as low-cost country sourcing and the outsourcing of manufacturing and other services have extended the global supply chain—and in the process have opened up the enterprise to new risks and challenges. Principal among these is the increased potential for supply chain disruption and variability.
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By Fawn Fitter

They frequently happen without warning: canceled orders, delayed shipments, sudden changes in demand. The greatest difficulty in managing the supply chain is that so much is out of your control. And most enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems are not designed to fully address such issues as demand forecasting, capacity planning or storage optimization.

In Summary:
• Supply chain niche applications can help your company make smarter decisions about inventory, capacity and demand.

• These applications are meant to add functionality to your existing ERP system in critical areas, especially warehouse management and transportation management.
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Buying from China is nothing new for greeting card and gift maker Hallmark. But tracking the increasing number of container shipments from China to the U.S. has become more difficult and more important in recent years. To address this issue, the Kansas City-based company’s logistics organization has invested in technology that allows a clear view of everything it’s got on the Pacific.
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