The title of chief supply chain officer has only been around for about five years. But the importance of that individual to the organization is growing exponentially, says Michael Burkett, research vice president with Gartner.

The Chit Chat Group LLC, a provider of classes in logistics and transportation, has signed a one-year agreement with Business Contract Solutions, Inc. on training, job placement and employment services.

For international traders who are sick of filing documents with multiple regulatory agencies, help is on the way.

Significant effort and dollars are invested in lean initiatives each year in manufacturing plants across the United States. These investments can yield significant production and profitability gains if done properly.

Avnet Inc. just celebrated its 10th anniversary as a Lean company. But the company's search for waste and inefficiency is far from over.

Many people look at end use parts as the nirvana of 3-D printing. But what's really interesting about 3-D printing is not how it's augmenting the way things are done traditionally. It's the way designers are utilizing 3-D printing as a new paradigm to help design a new kind of object.