The sharp slowdown in U.S. manufacturing that began last spring appears to be over, setting the stage for moderate expansion in the factory sector in coming months - with a little boost from companies bringing overseas production back to America.

Plans that detail a business's initial emergency response provide a road map for keeping operations running through a crisis and ready a business for the return to full operational effectiveness in the weeks that follow a disruption. These forward-thinking solutions are critical components to effective business continuity programs, according to a new PwC US paper entitled, "Beyond the first 48 hours: Can your business continuity plan go the distance?"

A diverse coalition of more than 120 local, state and national stakeholders, ranging from farmers and manufacturers to retailers and wholesalers sent a letter to the International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) and United States Maritime Alliance Ltd. (USMX) urging both sides to remain at the negotiating table until they "reach a new long-term contract."

In 2012, more and more analysts and pundits pronounced the return of manufacturing onshore to the U.S. or near-shore to Mexico (or the Caribbean). Is this real and lasting, what is causing it, and what does it mean for supply chain managers?

Noha Tohamy, research vice president with Gartner, identifies the proactive strategies that leading companies are using to manage supply-chain risk today.

One of the hottest topics of discussion at the Gartner Supply Chain Executive Conference 2012 was supply-chain segmentation. Chris Gordon, practice head and global network lead with Wipro Technologies, explains the concept, and its compelling benefits.

How people speak is as important as the words they say when it comes to sentiment analysis. "The human voice is made of many repeating patterns," said Amir Liberman, CEO of Nemesysco. "Everything that attracts your attention will generate a slight disturbance in these patterns. We look carefully at this voice chart, and we identify disturbances."