There has been a recent renewal of interest in collaboration among supply-chain partners, according to Ann Grackin, chief executive officer of ChainLink Research. Reasons include a greater reliance on outsourcing and the general trend of globalization of trade. Yet another element is the desire to draw on sophisticated technology, including video, teleconferencing and social networks, to link all players throughout the chain. With such factors in mind, says Grackin, "you need working relationships with trading partners to be successful."

Zonar Systems has added fuel as an additional dimension to its suite of tools for electronic fleet inspection, tracking and operations management. Up to now, Zonar's vehicle telematics platforms have utilized four dimensions - latitude, longitude, time and odometer - of global positioning system (GPS) reporting.

The "cloud" can be a difficult concept to grasp, given the various definitions it has been assigned by software vendors and users. Greg Johnsen, executive vice president of marketing and sales with GT Nexus, calls it "an information replica of the physical supply chain." Cloud-based technology provides one place where managers can go to monitor critical supply-chain events. When an element is updated, "everybody gets the information."

Descartes Systems Group has created a pair of cloud-based services to help air freight forwarders comply with U.S. and European security filing requirements.

ToolsGroup, a vendor of supply-chain planning software, has created an outsourced service which feeds optimized inventory targets to customers.

Warehouse-management system (WMS) software is hardly new, but users are increasingly on the lookout for new applications that can be implemented more quickly and less painfully, says Diego Pantoja-Navajas, president and chief executive officer of Logfire. Among the new features they are exploring is the software-as-a-service (SaaS) model, dubbed more recently cloud-based technology.

Hubspan Inc., a vendor of business-integration software based in the cloud, has released six new business-to-business applications, built using the NetSuite SuiteCloud Computing Platform.

Encompass Global Logistics LLC, a third-party logistics provider specializing in the trans-Pacific trade, has launched a mobile application for cargo management, compatible with all Apple iPhone, iPad and iPod products.

Oracle Corp. has developed a mobile expense-management software application, under the JD Edwards EnterpriseOne brand.

Inttra, provider of an independent platform for booking and managing ocean freight, has created what it says is the industry's first standardized electronic bill of lading.