Analyst Insight: The dirty underside of supply chain is confronting the many risks inherent in 24x7-operations entrusted to "partners" in far-flung regions who are conducting fraudulent activities as well as dealing with unpredictable events. The big market here is risk transfer-insurance and others services to mitigate the impact of events. In addition, step by step, we are beginning to see approaches-metric and risk assessments methods, auditing and monitoring services, and technology - to support risk avoidance and assure recovery.

Analyst Insight: 2009 painfully taught organizations the value of having a flexible, modular, agile supply chain - from planning through to execution. Companies learned that being prepared for uncertainty with the right people, processes and technology can be the key to business survival. CPG companies that have maintained and developed their talent, redefined their processes and strengthened their supply chain capabilities can look forward to a rewarding, yet challenging, 2010.

Analyst Insight: Don't be fooled by the dismal lack of progress in government venues on climate-change agreements or environmental legislation. The smartest companies are already pushing the frontier to bigger and bolder green agendas to gain competitive advantage, with the added benefit of enhancing their reputations for true corporate responsibility.

Analyst Insight: PLM applications have grown up in engineering or technology-oriented value chains where product and technological complexity required a much firmer grasp of specifications and proactive lifecycle management, but a number of market trends suggest PLM applications might offer important capabilities to process manufacturers.

Analyst Insight: A December 2009 study reveals that as few as 22 percent of companies are ready for the January 26, 2010 mandate date for full Importer Security Filing (ISF) "10+2" compliance. The economic recovery may foretell huge fines for these companies.

Analyst Insight: The regulatory environment for food and beverage manufacturers is changing. President Obama has reinvigorated the FDA's Food Safety Working Group and change is on the way. It is more important than ever for food and beverage manufacturers to get ahead of the curve and ensure food safety and traceability across their entire supply chains, from the field to the fork.

Analyst Insight: Any 3PL that wishes to increase its market share in 2010 must provide higher levels of customer-focused service offerings in this competitive marketplace. Client companies want to have their 3PL contract partners provide better support to their current service offerings.