Hollywood studios know that box-office receipts are greatest in the first weeks of a film's release, and the same is true for their video sales divisions. MGM Home Entertainment's VMI initiative ensure that its retailers are stocked (and replenished) with the latest videos.

Enabling its field sales managers to collaborate on forecasts allowed Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Consolidated to slash inventories in half while absorbing 150 new products.

Serving the nation's largest cooperative of independent hardware stores, struggling True Value aims to secure member loyalty through a world-class supply chain.

One of the world's most complex automotive supply chains has been tamed with an optimization tool that links thousands of suppliers and service providers with the component requirements of Ford plants all over the globe.

The consumer products division of Ericsson, the Swedish telecommunications giant, found additional dollars to invest in its capital-intensive business by outsourcing inbound logistics and shifting responsibility for inventory management to vendors.

Canadian Tire is perhaps Canada's most widely recognized and well established retailer, but in the early 1990s the company realized its aging stores and out-of-date replenishment system were costing it business. A major renovation of stores and re-engineering of the supply chain yielded impressive results.