RedPrairie Corp. has released version 2012.1 of its suite of supply-chain software applications. The update links execution capabilities to the store and commerce sites, giving retailers, manufacturers and distributors greater visibility of product and data.

Challenge: A global pharmaceutical company ships its products globally by a combination of air and ocean freight. To improve supply chain operations and reduce costs, This company has undertaken a multi-year strategy to transition more product from air freight to ocean carriage. The company's supply chain team had been successful in the past at transferring some of its air freight transportation to ocean freight, but had yet to undertake a large scale transformation because of the large amount of data collection and analysis required to fully understand the impact. Solution: The company turned to CombineNet ASAP to support their sourcing strategy.

Labor incentive programs can work hand in hand with your supply chain strategy by improving such things as productivity and quality. But, says Tom Stretar, senior project manager, enVista, employees must see the benefits to them if these programs are to succeed.

U.S. import shipment volume for April, measured in TEUs, increased 9.2% from March and 7.2% from April of 2011, according to Zepol Corporation, a trade intelligence company.

Wal-Mart's annual meeting next month promises to be a contentious one because of questions over how the retail giant handled bribery allegations at a Mexico subsidiary. Shareholders are concerned about the board members' independence in light of the alleged cover-up of bribery that occurred in 2005 and 2006.

Challenge: A leading producer, marketer and distributor of high-quality branded food products needs control, scalability and visibility to better manage and measure transportation execution management.

Challenge: A leading supplier and solutions provider to food service, in-store bakery, and retail marketplaces needs centralized control, scalability and visibility into process to better manage and measure transportation execution management.

Analyst house Gartner has given its full backing to mobile device management, saying it is essential for IT success.

Aldata, a provider of business software for retailers, manufacturers and distributors, has created the 2012 version of Aldata Category Optimization.

Family Dollar Stores Inc. has entered into a strategic partnership with McLane, a major provider of grocery and food service supply chain solutions. Beginning in September, this partnership will enable Family Dollar to offer customers a broader selection of merchandise, including refrigerated and frozen food, across the retailer's more than 7,200 locations in 45 states.