As with a marriage, the success of 3PL partnership is largely determined before the union is sealed, says Harry Drajpuch, CEO of Weber Logistics. Clarity about mutual expectations and the nature of the relationship, whether tactical or strategic, are issues that need to be thrashed out well in advance of any commitments.

After demonstrating significant success with lean manufacturing, Johnson & Johnson decided to apply lean principles for reducing waste to its supply chain.

There are many, many things that can go wrong in today's extended supply chains, a reality that can make managing supply chain risk seem overwhelming, says Richard Sharpe, CEO of Competitive Insights.

What Rust Belt? Timothy Butler, associate professor at Wayne State University's School of Business Administration, details how Southeast Michigan's economy - of which the automotive industry is a major piece - is recovering.

An effective procurement process begins with having all spend under control, including money spent on logistics and transportation, says Nick Seiersen, president and CEO of Seiersen Enterprise. Overall, such a process should ensure that the right suppliers provide the right products or services on the right terms, he says.

By leveraging truck drivers' cell phone connectivity and location-based applications, Open Mile claims to have become the first freight brokerage to provide accurate and precise information on a truck's location at every point from pickup to delivery. CEO Evan Schumacher says this capability gives shippers a level of confidence in service reliability that previously has been absent from the brokerage industry.

Paul Vanderspek, clinical professor at Colorado State University, offers some valuable strategies for alleviating risk association with potential supply disruptions.

MeadWestvaco, a global packaging solutions provider, has identified a number of new markets in which it sees the potential for profitable growth, says Brian McClure, director of global procurement and supply chain. As the company moves into these new markets, it is faced with a lot of decisions about whether to make or buy goods and services.