An assemble-to-order business model can give customers the choice and variety they are demanding, while helping manufacturers eliminate inventory risk and better respond to fast-changing markets. However, it is not for the faint-hearted.

Supply-chain inventory visibility has become a hot topic in today's competitive and lean supply chains, and new technology is helping clear up the view.

Product stock-outs continue to cost retailers significant amounts in lost sales and, on the flip side, offer great opportunities for revenue growth. New technology helps capture that top-line potential.

The internet represents a revolutionary change in the way business is conducted. Old ways of operating - including managing supply chains in a linear, sequential fashion - no longer work. Newly emerging e-chains use the internet's speed, flexibility and real-time communications to link partners in networked, web-like structures.