Analyst Insight: The global trade management software market is in constant flux, but the risk mitigation benefits provided by the vendors are unmistakable. Vendors offer solutions across logistics, compliance, and finance, and spending on GTM software remains one of the few bright spots with 53 percent of respondents from our recent survey stating they are going to increase spending on GTM.

Analyst Insight: As of 2010, the traditional relationship between supply chain and business is in full revolution, and global supply chain management has become more important than ever. The roles of supply chain and manufacturing within organizations continue to evolve, making it clear that manufacturing should be reporting to supply chain, instead of the other way around.

Analyst Insight: Simply handling storage and order fulfillment more efficiently than their clients could in-house is not enough. In difficult economic times, 3PLs are being called upon-and are uniquely situated-to take on additional tasks such as kitting, light assembly, and custom labeling, that will ease the burden on their clients' operations.

Analyst Insight: Any 3PL that wishes to increase its market share in 2010 must provide higher levels of customer-focused service offerings in this competitive marketplace. Client companies want to have their 3PL contract partners provide better support to their current service offerings.

Analyst Insight: Entering the second decade of the 21st Century, logistics service providers' mindsets are focused on growth. There has been a lot written about shipper and LSP relationships - what's working and what's not. But there is plenty of room for improvement. Over the last few years, LSPs focused on cutting costs and improving customer satisfaction by standardizing operating procedures, streamlining and integrating IT solutions, managing with KPIs and implementing scorecards. So what is next on the minds of LSP executives - sales and marketing?

Analyst Insight: Advisors are often asked what's the best system to develop a product. Time and again our data indicates that simple spreadsheets just don't cut it - commercial packages and internally developed systems provide the real-time visibility into the data that organizations need to succeed.