Supply Chain & Merchandising

Who will sell consumer product five years from now? And where? The decline of shopping malls, the rise of online shopping and changing consumer habits require consumer goods manufacturers to rethink their approach to moving goods.

Tyson Foods President and CEO Donnie Smith says that the company lacked then necessary scale to gain lading share positions in these markets.

New research finds that more than half of business leaders place digital strategy and data analytics high on their agenda. Yet, 32 percent of respondents currently see themselves as having weak or no capabilities in these areas. Meanwhile, the supply chain was rated by consumer goods and retail executives as the No. 1 challenge for their companies and is also the most likely to receive increased investment this year.

Bill Simon's successor, Greg Foran, joined the company in October 2011 and became President and CEO of Walmart China in March 2012.

The merger expands ConAgra Foods Lamb Weston operations in a market that has growing demand for frozen potato products.

Updates include customized user settings, product notifications and unique search options.

The acquired business will become part of the Home Solutions segment with Contigo and Avex joining the company's Rubbermaid, Calphalon, Goody and Levolor brands.

A new report from IDC Manufacturing Insights concludes that big data and analytics will remain one of the top investment priorities for manufacturing organizations of all sizes for the foreseeable future. In fact, nearly 51 percent of respondents expect to generate new revenue streams from big data and analytics projects.