John Caltagirone, vice president of supply chain strategy with The Revere Group, traces some of the major challenges that companies face as they prepare - or fail to prepare - for a resurgence in economic activity and customer demand.

There's a wealth of valuable data flowing through any company's supply chain. But managers within each discipline need a way to avoid being inundated with information that isn't critical to their job functions, says Steve Hensley, president of Blue Sky Technologies Inc.