Supply Chain Management

Vendor managed inventory (VMI) solutions are changing the rules of business for select CG companies and their customers. Increased service levels, improved forecasting and clear visibility into the supply chain are some of the benefits generated by VMI solutions.

As the consumer goods landscape changes due to the mergers and acquisitions driven by the industry's leading players, the question of how the combined companies manage and integrate separate I.S. entities into a new whole becomes paramount for long-term success and efficiencies across the enterprise and supply chain.

Three years ago the Scotts Company was turning inventory twice a year, which may not sound like much to a company that does 50 turns a year like Dell.

The ability to render the perfect order is the single most daunting task facing the CG industry today.

Today's CG supply chain is akin to the spilt personality of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

Gaining increased attention among CG companies in the current economic climate is product lifecycle management (PLM) technology that reduces the time and cost it takes to bring a product to market.

Two of the three new e-business integration players roared to the top of this year's Best of Breed list, with Microsoft (www.microsoft.com) taking first place and IBM (www.ibm.com) second.

While these companies didn't make the best-of-breed lists in their respective categories, they certainly deserve a look as you put together your RFPs for the coming year.