Three times in the past year, including just last month, the Food and Drug Administration has issued warnings that counterfeit cancer drugs originating overseas infiltrated the U.S. pharmaceutical supply chain, putting patients at risk.

Social and environmental compliance are the main issues facing today's apparel supply chains, according to industry experts consulted by just-style. The continued shift towards faster and faster fashion cycles, along with pressure on retailers to adapt to an omni-channel experience, is also throwing up challenges when it comes to flexibility in global sourcing.

The International Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations (FIATA) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) have announced that the Multilateral Electronic Air Waybill (e-AWB) standard has been approved, removing the need for bilateral e-AWB agreements between airlines and freight forwarders and thus simplifying the air freight supply chain process.

Recipharm's solid dose facility located in Fontaine, France, has been approved for supply of manufactured products to Japan's pharmaceuticals market following a recent inspection by the PMDA, the Japanese drug agency.

Gartner's been gazing at its crystal ball again, and has forecast that service-led solutions - software as a service (SaaS), infrastructure as a service (IaaS), platform as a service (PaaS) and so forth - will displace more traditional sourcing methods by 2015.

TNT Express has set out plans to make recurring savings of 220m EURO by 2015 with a series of measures, including consolidating services, optimizing its infrastructure and reducing indirect costs. The restructuring is expected to cost 150m EURO by the end of 2015.

FedEx Express has expanded its alternative-energy vehicle fleet with 10 new all-electric commercial vehicles for use in Hong Kong.

Wal-Mart is considering a radical plan to have store customers deliver packages to online buyers, a new twist on speedier delivery services that the company hopes will enable it to better compete with Amazon.com.

Old Dominion Freight Line Inc. has made several enhancements to its network of service centers.