Has your company seen all the headlines about shipping lithium ion batteries by air? How are you supposed to keep up with what's compliant and what is not? Here's a concise overview on the lithium ion battery air transport regulations that will be effective April 1, along with a preview of what might be expected later in 2016.

Analyst Insight: Over the next few years, numerous new regulations are coming into effect worldwide, requiring pharmaceutical manufacturers, distributors, dispensers and others up and down the chain to build serialization, verification, and traceability into their supply chains. While there is tremendous potential ROI and added value from these investments, right now all the focus is on the race to comply before the deadlines hit. Those who get there first will likely have a head start in finding additional value from these newfound capabilities. - Bill McBeath, Chief Research Officer, ChainLink Research

The times they are a changin' for the players across pharmaceutical supply chains, from API suppliers to CMOs, to manufacturers, packagers, distributors, dispensers/pharmacies ... just about everyone across the chain.

Calls for stricter regulation of medical devices within the EU, prompted the European Commission to propose new regulations in 2012 for medical devices and in vitro diagnostic medical devices (IVDs) to replace the existing directives.

The barcode label contains far more than shipping information or data about a product's contents, it has the prescription for your company's successful supply chain.

The state of readiness in the chemical industry for the Globally Harmonized System of Classification (GHS) and OSHA's Hazard Communication Standard (HCS) is less than ideal, according to a survey from Loftware, provider of barcode labeling solutions.

The Reusable Packaging Association has issued comprehensive protocols to ensure the continued safe use of reusable plastic containers (RPCs) for fresh and perishable products in the supply chain. The guidelines encompass washing, handling, storing, packing, displaying and collecting RPCs. They also include rigorous and defined Hazard Analysis & Critical Control Points (HACCP), and hourly, daily, monthly, and quarterly microbiological testing.

Analyst Insight: The complexity of modern supply chains introduces a wide variety of risks into business operations. Supply chain professionals primarily worry about logistics and planning challenges, but a host of legal exposures can come into play as well. The management of these vendor risks typically falls to legal and compliance stakeholders, but ultimately impacts supply chain activities. This creates a unique need for integration between solutions supporting risk and supply chain management. – David Houlihan, Principal Analyst at Blue Hill Research

SupplyChainBrain and JobsInLogistics have joined forces in 2015 for the specialized purpose of: