"The more things change, the more they stay the same." The proverb from the 19th Century French journalist Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr suggests that change does not affect reality on a deeper level but only cements the status quo. In our era, however, change is not only happening, the evolution of change continues to be fast.

Is the forecast really dead? Should companies instead shift their focus to acquiring the ability to respond quickly to whatever happens in markets? A SupplyChainBrain Power Lunch discussion with Jim White, vice president of central operations with Applied Materials; Jake Barr, chief executive officer of Blue World Supply Chain Consulting; and C.J. Wehlage, vice president of high tech solutions with Kinaxis.

Jim White, vice president of central operations and CPO with Applied Materials, talks about the challenges his company faces in gaining full visibility of supply and demand, and in dealing with increasing supply-chain volatility.

Ethan Hunt, supply chain consultant with Agilent Technologies, talks about the challenges his company faces in gaining full visibility of supply and demand, and in dealing with increasing supply-chain volatility.

Before the cloud - before the commercial internet - there were communications networks that linked manufacturers with their suppliers. How effective they were is another matter entirely.