Pervinder Johar, chief executive officer of Steelwedge Software Inc., defines the characteristics of the "next-generation" supply chain, and offers a perspective on how companies are adapting to globalization, "consumerization," and the growing power of social networks.

Tradeshift, provider of a supplier-collaboration platform, has partnered with EcoVadis, creator of a collaborative platform for assigning supplier sustainability ratings in global supply chains.

Several years ago SanDisk realized that its build-to-forecast model was causing excess inventory and poor on-time delivery. The company decided to transform to a pull supply-chain model based on actual demand and postponement. Kehat Shahar, vice president of operations and supply chain planning at SanDisk, talks about this journey.

Contract terms being demanded by shippers and consignees in their agreements with logistics providers have become unacceptably onerous and one-sided, says Philip M. Coughlin of Expeditors International. Coughlin details common requirements, such as shifting all risk to providers, which he considers unfair, as well as discussing ideas on how to move forward.

With so many channels to juggle, merchandisers today are finding it difficult to manage multiple pockets of inventory, and satisfy customers regardless of how they order product. Burton White, vice president of industry supply chains with Chainalytics, shares some tips on how this goal can be met.

The term "digital supply chain" describes the integration of advanced technology, big data, and analytics to better manage and execute the physical supply chain, says Frederick Hartung of Jabil. He explains how this is playing out today and what it means for the future.

To build advantage, organizations must do more than just change. They must transform. As technology's role in business becomes ever more important, transformations will increasingly be underpinned by significant technology programs. In such technology-enabled transformations, IT leaders need two different strategies to ensure success.

Today's businesses need to go beyond visibility to full transparency, says Nancy Marino, partner at Columbus Consulting, whose clients are mostly retailers. This means using technology to focus the performance of independent silos on corporate KPIs, thus improving performance, she says.