Hey, you’re pretty smart, right? Especially when it comes to all things supply chain. 

Maybe you’ve been around quite some time and seen a lot of things. Quite possibly, you started out in the warehouse, moving things here and there manually, but that was just the beginning of your career. Or maybe you started out on the low rung in some office, perhaps before “Purchasing” became “Procurement.” In either case, over the years you’ve been moving from one office to another, from one function to another, seeing and learning everything you can.

Or maybe your experience is quite different. OJT wasn’t your route to the manager’s chair or C-suite; supply chain management was your major in school, and you entered the discipline from either the business or engineering school. Either way, you have come to see supply chain as a science, one underpinned with ever-changing technology. 

Regardless of the path you’ve taken, Efficiency or Optimization could be your middle name. You realize the importance of supply chain not just to your company but to the world. You know this is one area of business that never rests. Supply chain isn’t only about change -- moving things from here to there — it is change. Nothing is static about the world of supply chain today. And nothing is static about supply chain executives either. They keep building their knowledge base.

What’s your supply chain IQ? Pretty high, judging by where you sit these days. That’s because the smart folks are constantly learning.

And that, by the way, is what the annual Supply Chain Management Resource Guide is all about, bringing you up to date with what’s going on in the discipline — and perhaps more importantly, alerting you to where it’s going. 

For this special issue we always bring together the thoughts of top minds in technology, logistics and transportation, a wide variety of industry verticals, and specialists in one or more regions of the world. Those experts include consultants, analysts, academicians, and executives like yourself. These are folks who live and breathe supply chain. And their experiences mirror yours, whether you came up through the ranks or entered the workforce with a supply chain management sheepskin.

In every case, these are experts with keen minds, willing to share their thoughts with you. 

If anything is dynamic, it’s supply chain management. That’s why we produce the Resource Guide for you each year. View it as continuing education in the most important field there is.

What’s your supply chain IQ? Smart enough to know where to turn for the information you need to stay on top.

—From the Editors