Analyst Insight: The term supply-chain visibility means different things to different folks. Interestingly, it's something that everyone knows they need more of, but very few organizations have a handle on. This will change rapidly between now and 2020. Supply-chain visibility is having an increasing impact on customer relationships and buying decisions. - Bryan Nella, senior director of corporate communications, GT Nexus

Analyst Insight: No one can predict potential future risks that a supply chain may face. However, you can prepare for these potential risks and disruptions. Understanding and preparing is crucial in creating a sustainable top-performing supply chain, with flexibility and awareness. - Sara Shingleton, senior consultant, Tompkins International

Analyst Insight: Procurement departments have spent the last 20 years perfecting procurement by automating procurement systems and standardizing highly competitive Request for Proposal processes. This works well when buying commodities and transactions, but falls short for organizations looking for collaborative supplier relationships where flexibility and innovation are essential. Today's progressive procurement organizations are re-evaluating their approaches and are making a conscious shift along the sourcing continuum. - Kate Vitasek, faculty member, University of Tennessee's Haslam College of Business Administration

Analyst Insight: Full supply-chain visibility has been a top three goal of supply-chain managers for more than a decade. The ability to see your inventory, customers' orders, and financial transactions, as they move through every node in the supply chain is paramount. This enables opportunities to optimize inventory position, route shipments more efficiently, truly collaborate - not just cooperate - and communicate with customers to provide world-class service. - David Meyers, principal, Tompkins International

Analyst Insight: Supply-chain executives are under tremendous pressure to continually re-optimize their supply chains. While supply-chain economics must dictate where manufacturing and distribution assets should reside, tax changes and opportunities need to be looked at in parallel with the supply-chain economics to sustain the planned benefits. Looking forward to 2020 and beyond, we believe companies should pay particular attention to four trends that will accelerate the need for a tax-efficient supply chain. - Michael DuVall, principal, Bradley Slattery, principal and Jared Lapin, director, PwC

Analyst Insight: In the age of information, there is a tremendous opportunity for retail companies to distinguish themselves as consumer-centric by exceeding expectations for online product content. Many retailers and brands are stepping up their ability to provide the detailed, accurate digital product information consumers need to make informed purchase decisions. To create competitive end-to-end shopping experiences, these companies are leveraging global standards to make it easy for consumers to discover and purchase products whenever and wherever they are. - Rich Richardson, vice president of standards development, GS1 US

Analyst Insight: Industry disruptions - whether caused by economic strife, weather events, or labor disputes - seem to be becoming more common, and they are prompting many executives to rethink the design of their global supply chains. For years many companies have invested in solid-state supply chains built for cost efficiency. The problem is that these are premised on very defined paths-to-market that lack resiliency and make them susceptible to disruption. - Glen Goldbach and Ryan Hawk, principals, PwC