While it can't be said that every company has tapped into web-based transportation management systems, such applications have been around long enough to no longer qualify as new - and their presence in the enterprise is growing. Is it fair to say that traditional TMS software has been overtaken by web TMS? Perhaps not, but such online, hosted or on-demand systems are proliferating. They are quick to deploy in most cases, they are highly scalable and the faster-time-to-ROI argument hasn't hurt web-based TMS adoption either.

The giant producer of alcoholic beverages lacked visibility of its prepaid ocean shipments and carrier performance levels. It sought a single platform for managing the flow of goods from the factory all the way to destination.

As expected the ocean container industry just about scraped over the break-even line in 2012, albeit only because of the results of a handful of leading lights. There is every chance that lines will make decent money in 2013, but only if they refrain from old habits and stick to pricing and capacity discipline.

Conceptually, supply chain "risk" is used to denote perils, loss, dangerous occurrences, hazards, and even vulnerabilities. Risks include everything from management functions to fraud, to fundamental honesty and loyalty issues encompassing every aspect of an organization's status and operations. In addition to the firm's built-in management risks, the international supply chain provides additional third-party risk elements such as foreign shipper practices, carrier practices, weather, foreign government involvement, unforeseen disruptions in the process, timing, language, cargo quality and quantity, even payment issues.

When it comes to high demand volatility and difficulty in forecasting, few industries match the world of consumer electronics. And Monster Products, the maker of high-quality cables and other accessories for computer, video and sound systems, faces a challenge that's especially daunting. For much of its product line, the company depends on the ever-changing nature of big-ticket items like PCs and flatscreen televisions, not to mention the fickle tastes of consumers. Now add thousands of SKUs to that mix, and you have a forecasting effort that can be brutally complex. In this interview, conducted at eyefortransport's Hi-Tech & Electronics Supply Chain Summit in San Francisco, director of materials Jennifer Hochstatter spoke with managing editor Robert J. Bowman about how Monster Products approaches the problem of prioritizing supply for its extensive product line, and ensuring forecast accuracy for the most critical customers.

The growth of global trade, internalisation and externalisation of borders, and increased security threats to international supply chains are putting pressure on Customs organizations around the world.