Rear Admiral Mark Heinrich, commander of the Naval Supply Systems Command and chief of the Supply Corps, reveals what it's like to oversee one of the world's most complex and critical supply chains.

BNSF Railway Co. will add another 14 special rail cars to carry Boeing 737 fuselages in coming months to match Boeing's rising production of its most popular aircraft model. The addition will bring the total number of such BNSF rail cars to 99.

Labelmaster, a manufacturer and distributor of items for complying with regulations on the movement of hazardous materials, has added reusable crates to its product line.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) identified four priorities to make air cargo more secure and urged stakeholders to move forward on the implementation of the Secure Freight principles. Secure Freight was initiated by IATA to promote global security standards in order to facilitate safe, secure and efficient operations of air cargo.

Slowly and steadily, a handful of Indian aerospace companies are getting absorbed into the global supply chain of OEMs. For instance, in the opto-electronics segment, the new Samtel-Thales Avionics joint venture "plans to become the first electro-optic house in the country," said executive director Puneet Kaura. By 2015, the company intends to supply the infrared search and track system as standard equipment for the Dassault Rafale fighter for the Indian Air Force. Meanwhile, the Thales-Bharat Electronics surface radar joint venture is on track and will be fully operational by March, said Eric Lenseigne, Thales's country head for India. "Offsets at a later stage could be a possibility."