Analyst Insight: Companies that invest in technology-enabled initiatives to change how they operate outperform their peers against key metrics like revenue / employee and net profit margin. Innovators alike are looking at ways to digitally disrupt operating models. Sure digital enablers can be used to make a better mousetrap, but they can also be used to change the way the mouse is approached all together. - Shanton Wilcox, VP-Manufacturing, & Melissa Hadhazy, Senior Manager-Manufacturing, Capgemini Consulting

Just who's responsible for weighing that ocean container? After several years of thrashing out a rule to combat the problem of misdeclared weights, regulators and rulemaking bodies still can't seem to agree.

APICS has launched self-study courses for the APICS Certified in Production and Inventory Management (CPIM) program and the "Which Program is Right for Me?" education selector tool for all APICS designations.

The Paris Climate Agreement resulted in a commitment by 195 countries to enact strict policies to address global climate change. Now manufacturers will have to fall into line.

Analyst Insight: S&OP is much more of a journey than a destination. After getting the supply/demand match process established, the question becomes "what is needed to move the process beyond the supply chain function and get ownership across the organization?" A good place to start is the front end of your business. - Bryan Ball, Vice President and Group Director, Supply Chain and Global Supply Management Practices, Aberdeen

Analyst Insight: Data analytics is playing a bigger role in supply chain analysis and consulting practices. According to a Deloitte study, "big data" and advanced analytics are being integrated into optimization tools, demand forecasting, integrated business planning, supplier collaboration and risk analytics at a rapid pace. - Traci Doenitz, Vice President of Information Systems, Spend Management Experts

Analyst Insight: Key to driving performance and achieving your business strategy is choosing KPIs that clearly align with that strategy. This usually involves identifying three or four areas where the company needs to excel, and then defining a "balanced scorecard" of metrics that shows progress toward the business goals, as well as the trade-offs necessary to achieve those goals. - Rodger Howell, Principal, PwC's Strategy&; Derrick Austring, Director, PwC's Strategy&

Analyst Insight: We have spent over a decade understanding what drives operational performance in DCs through the DC Measures Study. We've written that a DC's operations should reflect the firm's strategic direction. If the strategy is not communicated or understood, firm performance will be mixed at best. Combining over 2,000 respondents spanning five years of data, we've identified a common theme: the lack of alignment between the operational level and corporate strategy. -- Karl B. Manrodt, Professor of Logistics and Supply Chain Management, & Donnie Williams, Assistant Professor of Logistics and Supply Chain Management, Georgia College & State University

Analyst Insight: Over the next few years, numerous new regulations are coming into effect worldwide, requiring pharmaceutical manufacturers, distributors, dispensers and others up and down the chain to build serialization, verification, and traceability into their supply chains. While there is tremendous potential ROI and added value from these investments, right now all the focus is on the race to comply before the deadlines hit. Those who get there first will likely have a head start in finding additional value from these newfound capabilities. - Bill McBeath, Chief Research Officer, ChainLink Research