InkaFarma has an ambitious plan to nearly double the number of stores it operates in Peru, with an emphasis on opening up new locations in some of the country's remotest areas. To make that happen, the company needed both a new, automated distribution center and a warehouse-management system with which to run it.

To meet the challenge of Amazon.com and other e-commerce rivals, the parent of Sears, Roebuck and Kmart launches an initiative to provide one- to two-day delivery of orders to online shoppers nationwide, drawing on inventory from strategically located stores.

The Philippines-based logistics service provider took a concept born in manufacturing, and applied it to the services sector. The result: a significant bump in service quality and customer satisfaction.

Late or inaccurate deliveries greatly impact consumers' future decisions to shop with a retailer online, by phone or in the store, according to a Voxware study of 500 consumers.

Argue all you want about the reasons behind gridlock at U.S. West Coast ports, but one conclusion is inescapable: it proves the need for effective supply-chain risk management.