Best practices like just-in-time production, lean manufacturing and lean supply chain management have helped the world's premier automotive companies eliminate waste of all kinds: overproduction, waiting, unnecessary parts/product movements and processing, excess inventory, worker motions and defects.

A four-million-square-foot logistics development in the Northwest of England has taken a further step forward. Leading UK regeneration specialist Harworth Estate has confirmed the outline planning approval already granted by the local authority (Bolton Council) for Logistics North, which will be the largest distribution, logistics and employment site in Greater Manchester.

Never mind those expert consultancies and handsomely compensated analysts who purport to tell us the future of supply-chain management. The real answers can be found in an event that's held once a year in the heart of Silicon Valley. With dinner thrown in as well.

Infor has developed version 9.00 of Infor SyteLine, the company's enterprise resource planning (ERP) application for manufacturers.