The shift by manufacturers from offshore locations in Asia back to the U.S., Mexico and other parts of the western hemisphere is more than anecdotal, says David Kilzer, senior vice president of supply chain solutions with Idhasoft. He outlines the factors that are causing companies to rethink their supply networks.

The U.S. domestic energy sector, for both oil and natural gas, is on the rebound. Brent Hudspeth, senior director of consulting with Transplace, talks about the pressures and requirements that the new trend is placing on transportation networks.

David Griffith, senior vice president of logistics at MIQ Logistics, discusses how current economic pressures are driving customers to push for more flexibility from their supply chain partners and how MIQ Logistics manages its labor, space and systems infrastructure to provide that agility.

Stanley Fawcett, visiting professor of global supply chain management at Weber State University in Ogden, Utah, discusses five key qualities that make a supply chain leader indispensable to an organization and offers tips on how companies can identify and nurture these employees.

Professor Yossi Sheffi, director of the MIT Center for Transportation and Logistics, describes the development of logistics clusters and their considerable economic advantages, which include the creation of steady, well paying jobs for both blue- and white-collar workers.

It's an often overlooked area of the supply chain, with a woeful record of success. Josefin Aspegren, marketing director with Optilon, talks about the challenge of assessing the efficacy of trade-promotion programs.

In today's volatile transportation environment, it's more important than ever before to solidify relationships with one's core carriers, says Elie Hiller, director of sales and marketing for North America with Transwide. A good transportation-management system is key.

Larry Lapide, research affiliate at MIT's Center for Transportation and Logistics, employs a maritime metaphor to dramatize the pressing need for companies to implement an effective sales and operations planning (S&OP) process.

Inventory optimization might seem like an old concept, but many companies fail to apply it properly, especially in the area of multi-echelon inventory management. Karin Bursa, vice president of marketing with Logility, details IO's key benefits and challenges.