A conversation with Tom Enright, research director of Gartner.

Every supply chain manager knows that moving freight globally is a high-risk business. In a world beset by severe weather events, worsening natural disasters and pervasive terrorist threats - on top of the usual traffic tie-ups, rail derailments and port slowdowns - disruptions are a fact of life.

Having undergone a raft of acquisitions and name changes over the years, the pharmaceutical giant formerly known as Actavis scraps its legacy manual processes and embraces formal demand-planning and advanced-scheduling technology.

Is there slavery in your global supply chain? Are you sure about that?

The big merchandiser looked to Genco to provide a system for the rapid and efficient processing of merchandise that's designated for redeployment, return to vendor and liquidation.

The big maker of flatscreen TVs cuts logistics costs and boost sales, by offering product discounts in exchange for bulk buys by retailers. A partnership with C.H. Robinson makes the program work.