Corporations that have pushed hard this last year to improve their performance in sustainability may now face a new challenge - a growing skepticism among professional investors, supply chain officials and recent higher education graduates. Such are the results of the 2012 Sustainability Leadership Report, now in its second year, which analyzes real vs. perceived sustainability performance for 100 leading global brands that collectively represent 16 percent of the world's economic output.

Larry Curry, principal with Oliver Wight Americas, offers a definition of Integrated Planning and Control, along with detailing its benefits and discussing how companies can begin to embrace this vital concept.

C.H. Robinson Worldwide Inc. has formed a new division to offer logistics services to chemical manufacturers and distributors. Dubbed ChemSolutions, the unit can provide chemical bulk shipping, safety and sustainability, freight forwarding, customs brokerage, vendor and supplier compliance, global trade management and multimodal transportation.

Economic activity in the manufacturing sector expanded in September following three consecutive months of slight contraction, and the overall economy grew for the 40th consecutive month, according to the nation's supply executives in the latest Manufacturing ISM Report On Business.

Drewry, the U.K.-based maritime research and advisory firm, has created a new service, Drewry Maritime Equity research, to produce investment reports on companies operating in the maritime industry.

Accellos, a vendor of supply-chain execution software, has released a carrier qualification and monitoring module for its Prophesy Dispatch transportation-management system (TMS).

DB Schenker Logistics has developed a new tool for monitoring air and ocean freight consignments.