The blockchain has emerged from the shadows. Now it might hold the key to transforming global supply chains.

Analyst Insight: Lehigh University developed the first MBA SCRM class in 2010. The concept has now grown to a global level: The SCRM Consortium includes 17 companies; SCRM continues to be a popular course at Lehigh and ERM is currently taught at Villanova University; 20-plus workshops and 10 conferences per year are held around the globe. A recently published book and the Consortium itself continue to support companies to Identify, Assess, Mitigate and Manage supply chain risks. - Gregory Schlegel, founder, The Supply Chain Risk Management Consortium

The ability to monitor the behavior and condition of one's suppliers depends on having access to hard numbers. But a surprisingly large percentage of companies lack this critical data.

Analyst Insight: Robotic process automation has the potential to transform organizations by helping to optimize back-office and repetitive functions. It can increase productivity and quality while reducing costs, and in many cases it requires minimal investment. In fact, organizations are finding that it can pay for itself in less than a year. - Sean Harapko, principal, Ernst & Young LLP

How can a new company break into the venerable freight-forwarding business? Technology holds the key.

Analyst Insight: Outsourcing continues to grow, yet the news is full of outsourcing agreements that didn't work as planned. Far too often firms rely solely on power to get what they want. This leads to confusion, resentment, lost productivity, and at times, missed market opportunities. Suppliers and buyers need to better understand the use of power, and how this relationship will impact performance. - Karl Manrodt, professor of logistics and supply chain management, Georgia College and State University

The cash-to-cash cycle is a key metric for measuring the efficiency of a supply chain. But many companies seem unable to deploy it with success.

If the vision of Industry 4.0 is to be realized, most enterprise processes - manufacturing, product development, customer relations, and the workplace itself - must become fully digitized. A critical element will be the arrival of the digital supply chain.

The return of manufacturing to the U.S. and Europe from Asia is happening - but not at the pace that proponents of reshoring might hope. And there are some unexpected complications that need to be addressed.

So the major driver behind all those lost American jobs is free trade? Not so fast.