Collaborative Planning, Forecasting and Replenishment may have been born in the U.S.A, but it took a German grocery supplier doing business in Spain to demonstrate true collaboration among trading partners.

Enabling its field sales managers to collaborate on forecasts allowed Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Consolidated to slash inventories in half while absorbing 150 new products.

With industry giants invading the product niche that it created, the beverage maker turned to logistics outsourcing as a means to achieve a higher level of customer service, cost control and data integrity. Its attention now is focused on innovation and flavors.

Rapid growth, acquisition of a company with different distribution characteristics and a troubled ERP implementation created supply-chain problems for Hershey Foods in the late 1990s. A new strategy that focused on fulfillment speed and agility helped turn things around.

The pioneer of the office-products superstore has big plans to boost sales and market share in Europe by increasing stores, catalog orders, contract stationery business, and internet retailing. But it must balance growth with the challenge of a multi-channel supply chain.

Costly automation and price cuts weren't working. A new approach centered on increased outsourcing, flexible manufacturing and distribution, and establishing operations in Mexico. Now, Master Lock is saving money and getting new products to market faster.