Webalo, maker of a mobile application development platform, has joined with Bell Nursery to launch a mobile product for supply chain and inventory management.

RIM Logistics Ltd., a provider of global freight forwarding and third-party logistics services, has developed a new domestic transportation-management system.

Oracle Corp. has developed a simplified user experience for its PeopleSoft Financials and PeopleSoft Supply Chain Management applications.

Recently, McDonald's, the world's iconic largest food service provider, has been (forgive the cliché) through the grinder. Poor performance has led to the departure of its CEO and plenty of critical attention in the business pages. Part of this story relates to the provenance, or origins, of its products: Chains that provide more upmarket "fast casual" dining such as Panera, Chipotle, and Shake Shack have brands that speak of freshness, health and trustworthy sourcing.

Toby Brzoznowski, executive vice president of LLamasoft Inc., details the changes he's seen in supply-chain modeling and network design over the last 15 years. And he offers a picture of where the technology and supporting business processes are going.