Nelson Cabrera, director of business development at Lilly and Associates, provides first-hand information on the operation of Panama's Colon Free Zone.

Consumers today want the ability to purchase and return products via any channel, at any time, at the best price. To meet those expectations, companies that traditionally have had disparate fulfillment models must now merge both the informational and operational aspects of those models into one, says Todd Peters, CEO and vice chairman of GENCO.

Graybar, a distributor of electrical, communications and data-networking products, as well as provider of related supply-chain management and logistics services, has beefed up its sales network.

An automated yard management system gets drivers in and out of facilities quickly by using electronic gate readers and providing exact trailer locations. Aleks Gollu, CTO and founder of PINC Solutions, discusses these and other benefits.

The credit squeeze resulting from the recession put the focus firmly on supply chain finance as major corporations got to grips with the fact that some of their suppliers were struggling to finance their activities.

DAT, a provider of load boards for the spot freight marketplace, has added more equipment types to its DAT 3sixty and TruckersEdge products.

Kieran Brennan, director of business development with Syncreon Technology, discusses the "yo-yo" effect of choosing between complete manufacturing at the factory, and relying on postponement strategies in regional markets.

Many shippers could save money by taking advantage of the substantial spot market for transportation, says Ralph Galantine, product manager at DAT. Capacity varies greatly by lane, however, so good market data is essential.

The rapid growth of e-commerce and, in some cases, declining store sales raise difficult questions for retailers around whether and how to integrate their various distribution channels, says Andrew Breckenridge, executive vice president of Fortna. He outlines key issues influencing these decisions and identifies other retail trends to watch in the coming year.