The Open Group has issued a "preview" of its new standard for promoting best practices in the area of supply-chain security. The Open Trusted Technology Provider Standard (O-TTPS) Snapshot, developed by The Open Group Trusted Technology Forum (OTTF), was designed for use by global providers and users of commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) products for information and communication technology (ICT).

Avnet Electronics Marketing Americas has launched the Rapid Benefit Escalation Tool (RaBET), enabling customers to model the cost savings to be derived from the use of Avnet products.

With $12bn in brand revenue, Ralph Lauren was facing the challenge of coping with rapid growth, both at the wholesale and retail levels. Complicating matters were the apparel leader's broadly diverse customer base, geographic coverage and product array.

Omni-ID, a developer of on-metal passive UHF radio frequency identification tags, has introduced a new line of UltraThin tags and inlays. The devices provide on- and off-metal performance, an ultra-slim profile and support for flexible application on curved surfaces.

Aras, a vendor of open-source product lifecycle management (PLM) software, has made available cloud-based replication technology for Aras Innovator, developed by Ilesfay, a provider of data-replication services for organizations with distributed work groups.

Airclic, a provider of cloud-based mobility software, has released a new version of its Food Perform product for the food-distribution industry. The tool eliminates paper manifests and allows for clean invoicing.

ImpactFactor recently completed a study on supply-chain risk, surveying managers of more than 100 companies. The results were not encouraging. According to managing director Bill McBeath, many companies don't consider proactive risk-management to be a strategic tool. He was "shocked" at how level their level of investment in that area was, with half reporting expenditures of $50,000 or less to audit and assess suppliers. "Not a single one spent more than $3m," he says. "Given the huge potential impact [of risk] on their shares, we believe companies are seriously under-investing."

Graybar, a distributor of electrical, communications and data-networking products for supply-chain management and logistics, has made possible an alternative method of enabling network connections in commercial facilities.