Transportation and distribution providers could benefit from the use of customer relationship management tools, experts say. But some don't seem to want to hear about the technology.

Supply-chain plans tend to collapse when demand spikes, supplier failures and other problems at the execution level radically change the underlying assumptions. But better planning techniques, event management tools and a new generation of web-based collaborative solutions can keep these plans on track.

Europe's widely differing regulations of the consumer health product industry pose significant obstacles to centralized distribution. For companies trying to build efficiencies into their supply chains, such as health care giant Novartis, it's a real Maalox moment.