Ten years ago, Continental Tire realized that manual, paper-based communications with suppliers weren't getting the job done with efficiency and accuracy. So it turned to an EDI-based business network for help.

By now, even pundits acknowledge that supply chains are not really "chains" but rather networks.

enVista, a provider of supply-chain consulting and I.T. services, has launched implementation and support services for Microsoft platform-based applications.

E2open, provider of a supply-chain operating network, has acquired Orchestro, a vendor of demand-signal repositories and preemptive analytics for retail and omnichannel fulfillment.