Analyst Insight: S&OP can provide a powerful way to drive better functional coordination and synchronization, particularly in the current uncertain business climate. Yet, it is a process that has had a hard time withstanding the test of time and is subject to repeated re-designs and re-imagining.

Analyst Insight: PLM applications have grown up in engineering or technology-oriented value chains where product and technological complexity required a much firmer grasp of specifications and proactive lifecycle management, but a number of market trends suggest PLM applications might offer important capabilities to process manufacturers.