There's no margin of error in the tightly scheduled Joint Strike Fighter project, despite the involvement of four principal partners and thousands of suppliers.

Cisco Systems earned the top spot in this year's Supply Chain Innovators competition by transforming its reverse logistics operation from a non-value-adding cost center to a profit generating program that enhances the satisfaction of both internal and external customers. Cisco's rigorous, innovative approach takes something from both marketing and finance to treat returns as a virtual business.