Key Amazon.com executives in Seattle and Europe - including founder Jeff Bezos - talk about how the company's supply-chain strategies and fledgling European operations are shaping its prospects.

Working closely with consultant Kurt Salmon Associates, the appliance manufacturer decided that mixing its proprietary inventory management system with a new distribution center in Memphis was a recipe for success.

A thriving logistics partnership between Dutch frieght forwarder Frans Maas and a Portuguese auto plant is giving new meaning to the term "just in time."

To meet changing retailer requirements and sales growth demands, tableware designer Mikasa built a new, highly automated distribution center in Charleston, S.C., adopting an unusual design that conserves both energy and space.

Home Depot has centralized its import operations, opened a major import distribution center in Savannah, Ga., and installed purchase-order and import tracking software from RockPort Trade Systems to support its continuing, rapid-fire growth.

Consolidation of North American distribution points, a major shift from company-owned and -operated facilities to public warehousing, and economies from a little-known program with U.S. Customs helped slash inventory and associated costs for the Audiovox Corp., a consumer electronics company in Hauppauge, N.Y.

The Shannon Free Zone's irresistible tax benefits and other advantages helped it win the business of Gymboree and of many other companies looking for a European launch pad.

When Daimler-Benz decided to tap into the growing demand for sport-utility vehicles with an all-new design, it relied on innovative manufacturing and supply-chain efficiency to bring the product to market at a reasonable cost.

When once-ailing American icon Harley-Davidson decided it had to build a new plant to meet increasing demand, many locales wanted the nod. In the final round, Kansas City's air links to Harley headquarters and its "common culture" theme carried the day.