Companies are looking to technology to transform their operations in line with the globalization of supply chains, according to a new study from The Aberdeen Group. Sponsored in part by E2open, The Supply Chain Innovator’s Technology Footprint 2007 surveyed more than 200 companies. It found that innovators were 1.5 times more likely to view globalization as the driving force behind supply chain improvements. Among specific priorities, inventory management ranked first, with nearly two-thirds of respondents saying they were “actively reevaluating” relevant processes and systems. Areas of particular focus included inventory optimization, from a multi-tier and multi-organizational perspective. Next on the list of priorities was supply chain visibility, with companies seeking on-demand applications. According to the study’s sponsors, five times as many participants plan to spend more on new supply chain technology this year than plan to spend less. Forty-one percent of overall respondents – and 77 percent of large companies – with knowledge of their supply chain investment plans intend to spend $500,000 or more on technology.

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