Analyst Insight: The Congressional bills to implement the U.S. free-trade agreements with South Korea, Colombia and Panama and to renew the Generalized System of Preferences and Andean Trade Preferences Act have gained congressional approval and President Obama's signature, thus paving the way for the long awaited realization of the agreements and their inherent trade benefits and opportunities. Simultaneous approval highlights the challenges of managing global supply chains to take advantage of the benefits provided. - William M. Methenitis, partner, global director, and Kristine L. Price, partner, both of Ernst & Young LLP, Customs and International Trade

Analyst Insight: While on one hand the container shipping industry has become ever more commoditized, a new range of service measurements could increase the potential for market differentiation. The key to any differentiation is the ability to make it clear to the customer what the difference is. Such transparency would certainly be a novelty in the industry. - Lars Jensen, CEO, SeaIntel Maritime Analysis

Back in the early 1980s, when I was new to the world of transportation, logistics and the supply chain, I recall ocean carriers complaining that their freight rates weren't high enough to meet operating costs, let alone generate a profit. They were begging shippers to accept higher rates, in exchange for greater service reliability. Yet every time they would achieve some traction on the rate front, they would flood the market with new capacity, and offer deep discounts in order to fill the new ships. Then they would appeal to shippers for higher rates ...

Analyst Insight: 2011 marked a watershed year in the way supply chain managers conceived of global practice. Natural disasters that shook up traditional global sourcing coupled with a growing willingness to rethink the value of lowest piece-part pricing led companies to reassess what it means to operate efficient, effective supply chains. Companies are rethinking and reconfiguring supply chains to be more rational, regional, practical, low in total cost and risk, and high in fostering quality and customer value - moving toward rational, lean value streams. - John Shook, chairman and CEO, Lean Enterprise Institute

Analyst Insight: The generally low-margin and high-waste food & beverage sectors will continue to increase their technology investments in 2012. Traceability, quality and fulfillment technologies are emerging with strong ROI, though compliance and traceability get much of the attention. No doubt global regulations on food safety may be somewhat of a catalyst, but companies say that the benefits are what really drive their investments. - Ann Grackin, CEO, ChainLink Research