Less automated "standard" material handling solutions are perfect for new or smaller companies that do not require highly automated DCs. Klaus Wurm, vice president and managing director of Schaefer Systems, discusses the benefits of integrating standard elements to help such companies get their products to market quickly without big investments or lengthy implementations.

Checkpoint Systems Inc. has developed a new Zephyr 2 radio frequency identification (RFID) label, certified by the University of Arkansas' ARC Center for item-level tagging of all apparel categories in the U.S. and Europe.

PrimeRevenue Inc. has partnered with Propell, a Southern African provider of financial services, to offer supply-chain finance in Africa.

For retailers who want to remain competitive in this shop-anytime-anywhere world, omnichannel fulfillment strategies must be done right, and done quickly. Significant new demands have been placed on retailers' supply chains. In omnichannel fulfillment, all the resources of the supply chain are focused on transparently serving a single shopper who has placed a single order.

What is forecast value-add, and how can it be applied to organizations in a time of volatile and unpredictable demand? Eric Wilson, director of demand planning and S&OP with Tempur Sealy International, has some answers.

The supply-chain professional should be intimately involved at every step of new-product development, says Jillian Alexander, founder and managing director of Conduit Consulting.