Gaining deep visibility into sales channels and a timely understanding of every detail about product shipments is essential to modern businesses. Granular knowledge – about what items were sold, who sold them, who bought them, where they are now, and whether they’re being returned – gives manufacturers an edge in optimizing the final mile of the supply chain. That information is known as channel data, and the tools used to gather and manage that data are known as channel data management systems, or CDM.

The debut of the iPhone 6 wasn't just a big moment for Apple. It marked a major event for manufacturers in Taiwan and elsewhere in Asia that make the components for the device.

Few decisions have as much power to make or break a product's success and profitability as those around the sourcing of direct materials. The components, parts and assemblies that go into making products not only account for 70 percent of an average manufacturer's annual spend, they have a significant impact on such critical competitive factors as brand reputation, time to market and supply chain reliability.

Small business vendors that frequently have to chase down larger clients to get paid might have reason to rejoice. According to a story in The Wall Street Journal, the White House has launched an initiative that will either speed payments to small suppliers or help them access "lower-cost capital."