Even as logistics providers struggle to cope with rising costs and a drop in customer demand, they are thinking about how to prepare themselves for economic recovery.

Outsourcing. Multi-tiered supply chains. Shrinking product lifecycles. SKU proliferation. Incompatible information systems. Is it any wonder that companies are still losing track of goods as they make their way to market?

You grade your providers-but your providers grade you, too. Here's what customers should do to get the most out of their contracts for obtaining logistics services.

Can you trust your software vendor with critical data and applications that are sitting in a server at a remote location? The model offers numerous advantages-and some caveats as well.

Never mind the complications of global supply chains. Some of the biggest boosts in productivity are to be found within the four walls of the traditional warehouse or distribution center.

Companies collaborate successfully with external partners all the time. But the real challenge lies in getting employees within an organization to share data and forecasts, and work together toward a common goal.

Soaring fuel prices and the side effects of outsourcing to China are causing supply chain managers to seek new solutions for managing buffer stock while keeping down costs.