The North American robotics market is off to its fastest start ever in 2015, according to statistics released from Robotic Industries Association (RIA), the industry's trade group.

Small to mid-sized companies are better positioned than large corporations to take advantage of cloud-based solutions because they have not made big investments in enterprise systems, says Yogesh Pathak of Technoforte. The supply chain is one of many areas where cloud solutions promise to change the game, Pathak says.

Oh, sure, go on and do it by yourself. Just try to run the company without any help. Treat suppliers like you don't need them. Go on! If there's a recipe for disaster, that's probably it: acting like you don't need anybody else's cooperation, input or ideas. The reality is quite a bit different though, isn't it? No company, no supply chain, exists in a vacuum. We do rely on each other, because no one of us can do it all, successfully, by ourselves. We need partners. Ah, but which partners – which ones are right for you?

Change management as it is traditionally applied is outdated. We know, for example, that 70 percent of change programs fail to achieve their goals, largely due to employee resistance and lack of management support. We also know that when people are truly invested in change it is 30 percent more likely to stick.

The grand golden doors of 500 Pearl Street, in Manhattan, have welcomed such glamorous names as Hermès, Tiffany & Co., and Kering, a French conglomerate whose treasures include Gucci and Bottega Veneta. The building is not a posh hotel or department store. It is the federal court for the Southern District of New York, a favored battleground for the decidedly unglamorous war against counterfeit goods.

The goal for 3PLs always is to negotiate a win/win contract with existing and new customers, says Mike Bautch of Universal. He offers insights and examples on how to create win/win relationships that keep improving over the years.

Supply Chain operations increasingly are impacted by corporations' quality assurance and quality control programs, says Laurel Nelson-Rowe, managing director of the American Society for Quality. She discusses the importance of these programs in protecting brand reputations and ensuring customer satisfaction.

Brick-and-mortar retailers - including supermarkets, discounters, drugstores and mass merchandisers - rely heavily on promotions, which typically account for 10 to 45 percent of their total revenues. Although promotions are a powerful instrument for increasing sales and margin, they are also difficult to use effectively.