While mobile reigns among the hottest topics of discussion, its adoption at the supply chain operation level may be surprisingly less widespread than expected, according to a survey from TAKE Supply Chain, a division of TAKE Solutions.

Small and medium-sized enterprises are key drivers of growth in Asia, but they are hindered by inadequate access to finance, particularly from large banks. However, the Malaysia Institute for Supply Chain Innovation (MISI) has developed a framework for helping banks to tap into this vast market.

Over the past 30 years, most companies have added new C-level roles in response to changing business environments. The chief financial officer role, which didn't exist at a majority of companies in the mid-1980s, rose to prominence as pressures for value management and more transparent investor relations gained traction. Adding a chief marketing officer became crucial as new channels and media raised the complexity of brand building and customer engagement. Chief strategy officers joined top teams to help companies address increasingly complex and fast-changing global markets. Today, the power of data and analytics is profoundly altering the business landscape, and once again companies may need more top-management muscle.

Suppliers to the office furniture industry better start paying close attention to the materials going into the pieces they're making. That's because the sustainability programs being implemented by the office furniture OEMs in West Michigan and beyond are increasingly demanding the suppliers provide more detailed information about the chemicals that go into their products.

Using cutting-edge pulp molding equipment, researchers at Bangor University have begun a process of heating mixtures of ryegrass to press and mold into prototype fruit and vegetable packaging products.