If our annual 100 Great Supply Chain Partners is about anything, it's about sending a giant thank-you note, in a very public way, to a business partner that has demonstrably helped your business. Whether the partner you single out for recognition is involved in logistics and transportation, technology or in some other aspect of supply chain management, their efforts helped you immeasurably while you concentrated on your core business. And they deserve a shout-out and a public salute.

Sanofi provided insight into the logistics hurdles faced by vaccine makers in China after distribution and sales rule changes were made in response to illegal vaccine sales.

When it comes to assessing the impact of business practices on the environment, the bar is being raised. Mere sustainability is no longer enough: now it's all about becoming "net positive."

A logistics network is like a complex machine. When all the parts mesh and work properly, you have an efficient system that moves freight seamlessly across borders. But remove one piece - or let it get even slightly out of alignment - and the whole supply chain can grind to a halt.

Dozens of port authorities and marine terminals received port security grants this summer from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), but millions of dollars from the $100m program went to local law enforcement agencies and other non-port entities.

It's a big and transformative phenomenon worldwide, so of course it has a buzzy lexicon all its own. You can call it whatever you want - Digital Operations Technology, Industry 4.0, Industry of the Future, The Fourth Industrial Revolution, Smart Manufacturing - but you can't ignore it. MESA International offers a concise definition for this wave of change: "Smart manufacturing is the intelligent, real-time orchestration and optimization of business, physical, and digital processes within factories and across the entire value chain."

The U.S. Surface Transportation Board has proposed a rule allowing shippers to switch cargo among large railroads if there's reasonable access to competing tracks.