Analyst Insight: A number of factors are drawing increased attention to the order-to-cash (OTC) process. Achieving a perfect order, one that is filled to completion and arrives at the customer undamaged and properly documented, is under stress from doing new ways of business and increasing customer expectations. - Alex Bajorinas and Jim Morton, both Senior Managers, Ernst & Young LLP

Analyst Insight: Sherman's Law of Forecast Accuracy states that forecast accuracy improves in direct correlation to its distance from usefulness. It's time to stop being driven crazy by demand variability. Don't be driven by demand; sense, shape and respond to demand. Your company can better predict and respond to demand variability through integrating forecasting techniques with demand planning techniques; in a word, collaboration! - Rich Sherman, Principal Essentialist, Trissential

Analyst Insight: Food and beverage companies lag consumer packaged goods companies in corporate performance. With rising raw materials costs and volatility, coupled with increased compliance for food safety, they are facing greater change and increased risk. As they move into 2014, their supply chains are not as mature and their challenges are greater. - Lora Cecere, CEO and Founder, Supply Chain Insights

Innovation of the Year: Smart packaging creates right size box for every item shipped from e-commerce centers Winner: Staples & Packsize International; Runner-Up: PepsiCo; Finalists: LMI, Motorola Solutions, Pa. Liquor Control Board, IBM

The Defense Logistics Agency tasked partner LMI with helping to develop a more efficient system for managing items with infrequent demands through an innovative system that accounts for need and risk, without sacrificing mission-readiness.

The Defense Logistics Agency tasked partner LMI with helping to develop a more efficient system for managing items with infrequent demands through an innovative system that accounts for need and risk, without sacrificing mission-readiness.

One of the new buzzwords in the demand planning arena is demand sensing. Developed around 2003, demand sensing has slowly been grabbing the interest of the CPG, energy, food, beverage, and chemical industries. Often viewed as an alternative to demand management, demand sensing is anything but. Let's compare the two.

North American supply chains became more complex in 2012 as the economy continued to recover. Rapid innovation, higher seasonal sales and increased reliance on promotions contributed to make forecasting more challenging. These and other findings are contained in the Terra Technology Forecasting Benchmark Study, now in its fourth year.

Surrounded by an explosion of data, most forecasting systems have no way to leverage or take advantage of it.