A company can live or die by the effectiveness of its service parts supply chain. Yet the requirements for managing that function can be brutally complex. John Reichert, WMS product marketing manager with TECSYS, provides a blueprint for the proper management of service parts.

Mike Mulqueen, senior director of product management at Manhattan Associates, talks about the advantages of integrating all aspects of transportation management onto a single platform and how the resulting holistic approach drives value at many levels.

Joey Carnes, CEO of MIQ Logistics, says that changing demographics, especially the aging of global populations, will have a profound impact on consumer-driven supply chains in the next five to 15 years and needs to be given greater weight in supply chain models.

Dave Noble, director of sales and marketing with Seegrid Corp., offers a glimpse into the use of vision-guided robotic industrial trucks in manufacturing and distribution facilities. He also shares his view of the technology's future.

What is "Goods-to-Person," and how can it be of value in boosting the efficiency of fulfillment operations within warehouses and distribution centers? A briefing by Mark Dickinson, executive sales manager with SSI Schaefer.

David J. Closs, McConnell Professor of Business Administration at Michigan State University, says that cross-functional experience and training are essential to developing superior supply chain talent and explains why competition for that talent is increasing.

In an environment of increasingly global competition, companies are depending on their supply chains to differentiate themselves in key markets, says Michael Woore, former program director of IT services with Technicolor.

China is transforming itself from a source of low-cost manufacturing for western consumers to a potentially huge market for domestic production. Ron Tarter, senior vice president and general manager of Flextronics, discusses how his company and others are adjusting to the shift.