Moving perishable commodities like fruits, flowers and fresh seafood to the far corners of the world once was feasible only by air, making the price of these products prohibitive for most consumers. Thanks to a new generation of refrigerated ocean containers, however, perishable goods increasingly are being shipped by more efficient water transport. This shift is opening up new markets to producers and providing a growing, global middle class with affordable access to the fresh foods they want to buy.

APICS and Supply Chain Council announced today that the boards of directors of both organizations have approved an agreement under which Supply Chain Council (SCC) will merge with APICS upon ratification by SCC member vote.

In the grand scheme of things, delays, procrastination and postponement aren't good things. What's more, Benjamin Franklin was decidedly not a champion of putting things off. In fact, his actual words were "Don't put off until tomorrow what you can do today." Wise advice for most areas of life. Except, that is, when it comes to food and beverage packaging.

Epicor Software Corporation, a provider of business software solutions for manufacturing, distribution, retail and services organizations, plans to hire more than 100 U.S. military veterans, "wounded warriors" and active duty personnel transitioning to the civilian workforce over the next 12 months as part of the company's new Hiring Heroes Program.

Cameras and other recording and editing equipment are not only expensive but also highly mobile, and are frequently handled by a variety of people when videos are shot. Shrinkage can be a problem.

Can both levers be coordinated to create the right level of resilience despite unforeseen changes in the environment, such as lead time delays, demand fluctuations or network failures?