Analyst Insight: The Internet of Things (IoT) was originally the concept of "things talking." In the early days we envisioned RFID tags on everything, helping to identify and locate any object in the universe. The RFID tag would uniquely identify the item, determine its location, and put a time stamp to the transaction. It was a straightforward concept. It was either there, or it was not. It was all about identity and location. – Eric Peters, executive vice president, Tompkins International

The consumer products industry has undergone radical change over the past several years, rendering older methods for matching supply to demand ineffective. Consider some of the upheavals facing consumer products manufacturers today.

In the not so distance future truck drivers will find themselves in close quarters with colleagues. This new pattern of driving, "platooning", calls for a number of trucks to follow each other very closely so they can take advantage of the aerodynamics and save fuel.

A truly integrated relationship can mean success for each party. It's time to go for a 'win-win' for everyone.

Monster Moto, a producer of economically priced off-road vehicles, shifts from offshore production to domestic assembly, a move made possible by cutting its transportation and logistics expense.

Package delivery company United Parcel Service Inc says it will consider raising prices across the board in coming years to offset pressure on margins, particularly from the rising costs of delivering packages to e-commerce customers.

Deutsche Post DHL Group and Chinese technology conglomerate Huawei Technologies are collaborating on a range of supply chain services for customers using "industrial-grade internet-of-things hardware and infrastructure."

Two container shipping lines, France's CMA CGM and Israel's Zim, have signed up with Alibaba to allow customers to book space on their vessels through the Chinese e-commerce giant, in a bid to boost sales as the sector battles a severe downturn.