In a perfect world, the tight coordination of systems and processes would allow goods to flow continuously from manufacturer to customer. With total understanding of consumer demand, who needs a lot of excess product taking up valuable real estate? • Second in the Best Practices series.

A real-time view into inbound shipments helps retailers avoid stock-outs and other nightmares at a critical juncture - the point of sale.

Is vendor-managed inventory a boon to suppliers or another problem for them to overcome? Regardless of where you come down on that question, analysts say a confluence of forces is whipping up renewed interest in VMI.