According to a recent survey of more than 200 global finance executives, the use of business networks and the technologies underlying them is helping to transform procurement from a tactical function to a strategic contributor to company success. "Procurement has traditionally been recognized and rewarded solely on the basis of its cost-cutting ability," said Sam Knox, senior vice president and director of research at CFO Publishing. "But through the productive use of automated systems, the function has been able to move beyond simply meeting savings targets to help address larger, more-complex issues such as managing cash and capital, managing risks to business performance, and expanding into new markets or business lines."

At Hughes Communications, managing risk means developing proactive resiliency. Building a satellite requires coordination between both internal efforts - where engineers design the satellite, aligning the beam patterns with the geography that needs to be covered - and external partners, which provide parts from around the world.

The first and most obvious reason most people want to analyze spend is to find savings opportunities; figure out how to spend less and spend more wisely.

A newly-launched performance study from The Hackett Group Inc. is designed to help procurement organizations improve how they enable their companies' growth, in revenue and other areas. The open performance study should assist procurement leaders move beyond cost savings, and better understand the progress and strategies used in all facets of growth.

The Supply Chain Risk Leadership Council was formed around 2005 by Cisco Systems Inc. It was created to bring together risk-management experts who could share best practices and bring process standardization to the way in which risks are identified in the global supply chain, according to John J. Brown, director of risk management with The Coca-Cola Co.

Chainalytics LLC, a provider of supply-chain intelligence, analytics and advisory services, has introduced Integrated Freight Market Intelligence (iFMI).

Arena Solutions has joined with ERP Logic to provide a product lifecycle management (PLM) tool for users of SAP AG's Business ByDesign application.

Zepol Corp. has introduced a pair of enhancements to its flagship trade-intelligence tool, TradeIQ. The changes make it easier to search for and extract precise trade data for U.S. importers and shippers, and to notify parties.

With sales of roughly half a billion dollars, Dorman Products is one of the world's leading manufacturers of automotive parts for the aftermarket, selling more than 100,000 distinct products. The company has experienced sharp growth over the past four years, says director of corporate forecasting Donald H. Mitchell. Recently, it saw the need to transform its demand-planning process, in order to create "a more transparent environment."