The advent of continuous data collection and analysis has the potential to change the face of the chemical industry, and will create the need for platforms allowing companies to analyse a material throughout its value chain, consultants at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) said.

One in six Americans get food-borne diseases each year with 3,000 of those cases resulting in death. Food and beverage retailers are strategizing to avoid such risks for consumers while keeping their profit margins intact. A report from IDC urges them to invest in tracking and other technologies.

Air Canada Cargo is in the process of deploying an ultrahigh-frequency RFID solution to manage shipments as they move through its five hubs, or when they enter or leave one of the larger cargo-transfer stations it operates around the world.

APICS, the professional association for supply-chain management, has entered into a strategic partnership with Software AG.

Merck & Co. is facing another supply interruption for its ovulation-stimulating hormone Follistim, and like the supply lapse from several years ago, Merck has little to say.

Challenge: This high tech company was acquired and entered a period of rapid growth through a series of additional acquisitions. Behind the scenes, this company's supply chain had to keep pace with this growth - a tall order in a time of change.

If you think about it, the supply chain's action is outside the office. It is in a factory making things, a warehouse packing and shipping things, in a store where customers are shopping, or in a conveyance on the move.

After surveying 246 National Association of Electrical Distributors companies (102 distributors and 144 manufacturers) for the recent Reimagining Distributor and Manufacturer Relationships study, the message came through loud and clear: Both distributors and manufacturers need to put more time and effort into strengthening their supply chain relationships.