After the economic crisis, which had a marginal effect on the power generation industry, the automation and software solutions market in the electric power generation sector continued to grow. While the capital expenditure trend grew strongly from 2006 until 2008, it went down significantly in 2009 due to the global economic crisis. However, the investment activities resurged in 2010 and 2011. Developed economies have increased their investment in grid modernization while emerging economies have continued to build new electricity infrastructure. China's projects in this sector are ambitious and farsighted.

A host of marketplace trends are driving logistics companies to offer more value-added services and to physically locate closer to customers in order to support continued growth, says John Ferguson, CEO of SCI Logistics, a major logistics provider in Canada.

The most important benefit of supply chain visibility is enabling management by exception, says Sean Riley of Software AG. He explains what is driving renewed interest in this area and outlines steps to achieving real-time alerts and automated responses.

Competition within the supply chain industry is fierce. Internal executives, third-party providers and industry consultants all have their own special sauce strategies to navigate the twists and turns of the supply chain. Touting a company's strength is important for shareholders and marketing efforts. But value can be generated by recognizing operational deficiencies, and seeking out partner companies with complementary competencies. By this initiative, both companies capture or retain the ultimate prize - the customer. Sometimes a company's best choice for a partner is the least expected or desired - a competitor.