Analyst Insight: The current advantaged freight rates in LTL/Truckload modes that most companies have secured during the down economy will not last. Tomorrow's leaders cannot rest and must begin to embrace collaboration tools and technology to support process improvements around the linkage of key partners both internally and externally and to embrace integration as the key to process improvement and transformation.
Analyst Insight: 2009 was filled with mergers and acquisitions led by mega mergers. During this time, the definition of "pharmaceutical company" evolved, as the big players began morphing into global health care providers. As the evolution continues, processes for integrating multinational supply chains, new product lines, and rationalizing LSP contracts will challenge even the most capable and visionary supply chain executives.
Analyst Insight: The recent economic turmoil has pulled into sharp focus the issue of how to manage increasingly volatile supply chains. Through late 2008 and 2009, many companies simply panicked and aggressively cut both production and productive assets. These companies are beginning to pay for those aggressive cuts as demand is now starting to increase -- straining diminished capabilities. For 2010, we offer guidance on how companies can get supply chains back in balance and get sales and operations planning right.
Analyst Insight: In Aberdeen's Supply Chain Executive's Agenda 2009 study, the following top market pressures were reported by the process industry respondents: economic and financial volatility, rising supply chain management costs, escalating customer service demands, and rising business complexity of managing an increasingly global business network. Process industry firms have a number of differences in the way they manage their manufacturing and supply chains and are now increasing their focus on supply chain performance.
Analyst Insight: A December 2009 study reveals that as few as 22 percent of companies are ready for the January 26, 2010 mandate date for full Importer Security Filing (ISF) "10+2" compliance. The economic recovery may foretell huge fines for these companies.