Tired of dealing with slow ships and congested ports to get your product out of China? Why not take the train?

In Stanley Kubrick's Cold War black comedy "Dr. Strangelove," the Soviets have developed a devastating "Doomsday Device," to be triggered by a nuclear attack on the U.S.S.R. It's supposed to act as a deterrent, but has been kept a secret. Asks an exasperated American president of the Russian ambassador: "Why didn't you tell the world?" To which the ambassador replies: "The Premier loves surprises."

Coming soon to a city near you - an Amazon.com store?

3D printing is one of the hottest technology developments in supply chain today. Is it for real?

The maker of wireless infrastructure opted to outsource its manufacturing to Asia. In the process, it was confronted with a host of problems related to a lack of visibility and poor communications with the chosen partner. It was time to automate the process, and get everybody on the same page.

It's been called everything from a nuisance to a necessary evil. But reverse logistics can be much more than that.

Sue Montgomery, senior business analyst with March Networks, talks about the challenges her company faces in gaining full visibility of supply and demand, and in dealing with increasing supply-chain volatility.