Inventory optimization might seem like an old concept, but many companies fail to apply it properly, especially in the area of multi-echelon inventory management. Karin Bursa, vice president of marketing with Logility, details IO's key benefits and challenges.

In terms of logistics, Africa is one of the most exciting investment opportunities anywhere in the world, according to Sub-Saharan Logistics 2012, a report from Transport Intelligence, or Ti. Its untapped natural resources are vast, and foreign direct investment has poured in as Africans' purchasing power grows.

Intermec Inc. has created the CK3 Next Generation Series of rugged mobile computers.

Epicor Software Corp. has developed several new products, two of them for the automotive aftermarket.

Accellos Inc., a provider of supply-chain execution software, has released AccellosOne Mobile, a new series of mobile applications for smartphones and tablets.

European industrial real estate values have declined 21.9 percent from the pre-crisis peak in 2007, and have subsequently only recovered by 1.3 percent on average. Current values are attractive relative to replacement costs and the pattern of value recovery in the U.S. following the global financial crisis.

Business software vendor Infor has released Infor EAM Mobile, an asset-management application for the Apple iPad.

RedPrairie Corp. has agreed to acquire all of the outstanding shares of common stock of JDA Software, at a price of $45 per share. The deal is valued at approximately $1.9bn, and will create a software company with combined revenues of more than $1bn.

China is evolving from an export-driven manufacturing economy to a more balanced consumer-driven developed economy, and its logistics landscape is under pressure to adapt, according to new research by Jones Lang LaSalle. China's evolution has driven three key trends: the rise of the domestic middle class, rising wages and diminished cost advantages in manufacturing, as well as the rapid development of domestic infrastructure. And these trends are creating long-term opportunities for U.S. companies.

Ireland was one of the fastest-growing European economies (though briefly it was also one of the most expensive), but suffered a major collapse starting in 2008. However, today its costs are rapidly coming back into line and Irish manufacturing companies are again becoming competitive.