The global supply chain management and procurement software market grew 7.3 percent to $8.9bn last year, with small vendors combined significantly outpacing the overall industry growth rate, according to Gartner. Supply chain investments remained a high priority even as IT budget decision makers continued to exercise caution.

BNSF will spend $5bn on infrastructure this year, topping its record $4bn investment last year, says Steve Bobb, chief marketing officer. In addition to maintaining and improving service and capacity, BNSF will invest in logistics hubs and other future-focused infrastructure.

Are we to add the Internet of Things to the pantheon of top strategic technology priorities for the decade? That's the question increasingly in front of IT decision makers these days as tech vendors add the buzzphrase to their marketing and practitioners evaluate the rapidly growing array of related tools and technologies.

Infosys, a global provider of technology, consulting and outsourcing, has launched a cloud-based version of its Clinical Trial Supply Management (CTSM) solution. The new solution is designed to help life sciences companies enhance efficiency of clinical trial processes by driving greater collaboration between pharmaceutical companies and contract research organizations (CROs).

When Jim Bowes established the National Logistics & Distribution Conference 10 years ago his aim was to provide a small, non-sales oriented conference for senior supply chain executives. Bowes discusses how NLDC has evolved and what he thinks the future holds.

Leadership comes down to relationships and having a connection with employees, says Kurt Kravchuk, director of distribution at Cabela's. Spending time each day on the floor, focusing on collaboration and maintaining a positive approach are three of his suggestions.

Optimization technology allows manufacturing companies to become more flexible and to more efficiently manage their supply chains by accounting for real life constraints and business rules. They can review "what-if" analyses of various scenarios, tied to key performance indicators that measure success on an ongoing basis. They can generate near optimal plans from the virtually infinite number of possible options. And with a clear set of future-oriented KPIs they can measure tomorrow’s performance before it happens.