First Edition

7/1/2006
Having recently taken on the role of Senior Editor, I was fortunate to come on board in time to attend the CGT Sales & Marketing Summit held in New York City last month. It was a pleasure to meet many of you who are key players in the industry and valuable partners to CGT and I look forward to working with you. The sessions at the event gave me a superior introduction to the consumer goods (CG) market and provided invaluable insight. If you missed this year's event, please read about its highlights on Page 15.
My background includes many years in publishing, with a recent stint in the HR outsourcing space. Lucky for me, the first issue I am involved with focuses on outsourcing of IT and business processes within the CG market. This also happens to be the first time that CGT has covered this subject and from my experience, I predict it won't be the last.
Outsourcing is certainly not a new concept across industries and, in fact, the United States is the leader in outsourcing, followed by the U.K. The reasons for outsourcing vary by company and industry, but as logic would have it, cost savings are usually cited in surveys as the chief motivator for outsourcing. What most find, however, is that the greatest benefit of outsourcing is the freeing of key people to concentrate on strategy.
The trend for CG companies to outsource is growing rapidly, but with a new template. With a few exceptions, gone are the days of the huge deal. According to one analyst, CG companies are inclined to have "managed service agreements" in place now. On our outsourcing pages you will find an overview with industry specific research and analysis, as well as specifics in case studies from Kimberly-Clark, Hannaford and Levi Strauss & Co.
I am privileged to be a part of such a well-respected publication and am determined to continue the high quality of coverage and content. I encourage your comments and suggestions: [email protected].
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