The days of selling within seasons are long gone; sales periods that once spanned months have now shrunk to weeks. This "multiplier" effect presents retailers with huge challenges, because shoppers want the latest, most fashionable products immediately.

A new survey by researchers at the University of Arkansas indicates that the healthcare industry's supply chain lags behind the retail industry supply chain and could benefit significantly from adopting several of retail's best practices.

WaveMark, active in "Real-Time Healthcare Supply Chain Innovation", has introduced the latest release of its RFID- and barcode-enabled mobility application, SalesView, for medical device suppliers.

The food supply chain has been a hot topic recently, with the horsemeat scandal creating a whirlwind of interest in an area which before had ticked along without very much attention at all.

DHL Supply Chain is constructing a state-of-the-art logistics center for the Tom Tailor Group in Hamburg. The two companies have been working together successfully since 2008 and are now looking to consolidate the partnership in the longer term.

Users of enterprise asset management (EAM) and computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) software report low levels of access to these systems through handheld mobile devices, according to a new IFS-sponsored survey of executives from industrial companies with $50 million or more in revenue.

UHC announced that its member academic medical centers achieved record supply chain savings and value of $400m in 2012. The saving amount represents five percent of UHC members' record aggregated spend of $8.1bn and includes cash returns as well as operational savings.