The Indian IT infrastructure market, comprising servers, storage and networking equipment, will total $2.1bn this year, according to Gartner, and surpass $2.9bn in 2017.

Globalization has had an overwhelmingly positive impact on supply chains. Purchasers can now search further afield for goods and services to achieve better value, quality, price or reliability. But for all their benefits, truly global supply chains are not without issues. The trends for reduced inventory, just-in-time ordering and end-to-end automation mean that many companies are hugely reliant on their IT infrastructure and underlying communication services.

A huge opportunity exists to develop new, safer materials as companies look to phase out hazardous substances and textiles from their supply chains.

Operational excellence is about five things: driving innovation; managing talent; improving customer retention; ensuring strategy aligns with tactics; and determining optimal enterprise velocity.

There are few issues guaranteed to make environmentalists' blood boil quite like packaging and food waste. From single bananas in plastic wrapping to giant bags of produce that spoil within days, packaging and food waste remain one of the most visible symbols of resource inefficiency and a source of deep frustration for green campaigners and mainstream shoppers alike.

Airfreight reliability and security took another step forward with the news that American Airlines Cargo will begin offering a one-time use program with FlightSafe, a leading GPS and sensor-based tracking device for air cargo shipments.

A groundbreaking ceremony marked the start of construction for one of Switzerland's most advanced logistics centres, built by Schenker Schweiz AG. The new logistics hub will include office buildings, on a 38,500 square-meter property in Pfungen, Canton Zurich.

GHX has announced Case Xpert and Order Intelligence, reportedly the healthcare industry's first end-to-end supply chain solutions for managing and tracking implantable medical devices, including the physician preference items (PPI) used in operating rooms.

Barcoding Inc., a provider of enterprise-wide mobility solutions, has completed the acquisition of Miles Technologies Inc. in order to increase its presence in the central region of the United States and expand its radio frequency identification capabilities.