In the evolving supply chain, technology has allowed for more rapid and productive dissemination of critical information between organizational partners upstream and downstream. While this increased flexibility, scalability and efficiency of operations provides economies of scale and scope on the revenue and expense side for businesses, the tradeoff becomes a burgeoning access terminal for cybercriminals to poach critical intelligence flows.

Are cryptocurrencies like bitcoin gaining legitimacy in the retail and services sector? And what impact might they have on the supply chain?

Grupo Herdez is one of Mexico's leading manufacturers and distributors of grocery products and is a pioneer there in Collaborative Planning, Forecasting and Replenishment. Eduardo Cantu explains some of the challenges to CPFR implementation in Latin America.

You think you've had bad customer service buying products online - how about the guy in India who ordered his wife a Samsung smartphone, and the package arrived with only a brick and a bar of soap in it!

As manufacturers continue to competitively differentiate themselves within various industry settings, after-sales service will increasingly become more important in their overall business and profitability strategy, according to Business Strategy: Spare Parts Planning for Service Excellence, a report from IDC Manufacturing Insights. In fact, many discrete manufacturers can expect to capture upward of 30 percent of revenue from service and service-based product strategies.