Companies are rushing to take advantage of low-cost country sourcing, but the right processes and technology must be in place before expected savings can be realized.

Few things represent the "face" of a company more than that transportation portion of the supply chain often called last-mile logistics. It's unfortunate, then, that so many companies seem to treat it as an afterthought. That may be changing.

Capacity is stretched thin and costs for fuel and drivers are accelerating, and that's not likely to change in the near term. It's time that businesses become more strategic in their transportation decisions.