Analyst Insight: Supply chain problems result from the uncertainty, time delay and amplification of variability based on demand changes from one function to another and from one organization to another. The parts of the chain don't work together! They often work against one another. The supply chain is a dysfunctional system that increases the cost of all participants in the system. Today's optimization and network technology provides the capability transform to a Smart Supply Network 3.0. – Rich Sherman, author and founder at Gold & Domas Research

The sign in the elevator banks at Coca-Cola Refreshments reads: "There is a person at the end of our supply chain." Well, that's a start.

Analyst Insight: E-commerce continues to grow by double digits and many companies are striving to achieve omnichannel success. A successful omnichannel strategy means having the capability to meet customers' increasingly high expectations by enabling them to buy anywhere, take delivery where they want to take delivery, and make returns where they choose. While today's leading retailers understand the need for omnichannel success, the majority are falling short of meeting their objectives. – Kelly Reed, Executive Vice President, Tompkins International

What will the typical factory look like five years from now?

Analyst Insight: The need for speed, along with margin pressures, is causing food and beverage distributors to look for ways to achieve greater efficiencies in the warehouse. The continued growth of the "long tail" that are slow movers combined with a scarcity of available labor and the complexity of route-stop sequencing makes automation a good option. But to justify investments you have to look beyond the labor savings alone. – Frank Jewell, Food and Beverage Industry Leader, Fortna Inc.

In 2015 we will see a change to how all UPS and FedEx shippers pay for ground packages. No longer based simply on physical weight, dimensional (DIM) weight pricing takes into account the exterior package size which is the amount of space a package occupies when in the cargo area of a transport vehicle. – Paul Steiner, Vice President of Strategic Analysis, Spend Management Experts