The notion of lean supply chains remains relevant even though the concept has been around for years. Like individuals in their battles of the bulge, enterprises face a never-ending fight against bloated processes and excessive inventory.

All it takes is one small slip-up to undermine a company's supply chain. Here are 10 tips on how to optimize transportation programs, and avoid the catastrophic • Fourth in the Best Practices series.

A conversation with Jeremy Shapiro, professor of operations research and management emeritus in the Sloan School of Management at the Massachusetts Institute for Technology.

An elite group of just 25 3PLs increasingly dominate logistics outsourcing around the world, and that is just how their customers like it. This closed club promises to become even more exclusive in the years ahead as acquisitions concentrate the power among fewer but larger 3PLs.

Despite the obvious differences between software developers and the customers they serve, fundamentally they too are running businesses. Quite aside from the 'winning' qualities of their products, these companies need sound business practices to ensure profitability quarter after quarter.

Thousands of hours and millions of dollars are spent each year by retailers and CPG companies to resolve conflicts and discrepancies caused by mis-matched and out-of-date item data. Now, all that is about to change.

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.