Picking the right metrics for your supplier relationship should not be about simply buying into the latest benchmarking data. Rather, it should be about aligning the right metrics for the purpose. For quality metrics, pick what is the "best fit," not the "best practice." This is especially important for strategic, long-term supply chain relationships. -Kate Vitasek, faculty member, University of Tennessee Haslam College of Business Administration; author of six books on the Vested business model; and Karl Manrodt, Professor of Logistics at Georgia College. He is the co-author of seven books and numerous academic articles.

The Internet of Things would seem ideally suited to the task of monitoring and tracking containers around the world.

Just how do you make a deal, anyway?

Companies are drowning in data, but are low on insights. Exciting advances in analytics are opening up new opportunities for supply chain teams. The challenge is that it means charting a new path and defining new processes to take advantages of new capabilities. The path forward means charting a new direction. It is not an evolution. –Lora Cecere, Founder, Supply Chain Insights