The big maker of printers for consumers and business observes its 10th birthday by scrutinizing the elements of its cash-to-cash cycle.

A serious component shortage five years ago led Hewlett-Packard to develop Procurement Risk Management, a combination of new processes and technology designed to help HP manage supply chain risk. This project was named 2005 winner of the Supply Chain Innovation Award.

Companies need to look beyond best practices to find competitive advantage in their supply chains. A project at MIT called Supply Chain 2020 is searching for the hidden principles that will guide supply chains now and into an uncertain future.