These days, sourcing has become a common discipline in supply chain and transportation management. There is an organizational expectation that transportation modes will be sourced and cost will be taken out of the network with some regularity. However, meeting these expectations while maintaining service year-over-year has become more challenging.

A survey of more than 750 U.S. manufacturers shows continued optimism about revenues and employment as well as increasing demand for flexibility and responsiveness in supply chains. Moreover, confidence in growing revenues extends into 2016.

At the Smarter Commerce Global Summit, IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced a study that says companies with high-performing procurement organizations are driving better bottom line results, according to an IBM study. These organizations report profit margins of 7.12 percent as compared to just 5.83 percent for companies with low-performing procurement organizations. Also, companies with top-performing procurement organizations report profit margins 15 percent higher than the average company - and 22 percent higher margins than companies with low-performing procurement organizations.

A rising percentage of organizations are choosing e-invoicing to reduce processing costs, accelerate approval cycles, and increase on-time payments, according to a PayStream Advisors study sponsored by Syncada from Visa. Internal pressures such as green initiatives and increased centralization contribute to e-invoicing adoption, as do external changes, including global supplier requirements. The study recommends first implementing top tier customers to achieve the most financial and operational impact.