The pressure is higher than ever to find ways to increase margins and profitability while reducing costs. Business as usual is no longer good enough, and even time-honored, standard approaches may need to be adapted.

That's why top executives and supply chain managers are seeking new ways to achieve the right balance of working capital, inventory, customer service, lead times required to fulfill orders, operating costs and quality. While some companies continue to rely on the simplistic answers provided by ERP systems to manage their supply chains, more proactive enterprises are going beyond these common methods. By incorporating more sophisticated, optimization-based management practices and tools, they are turning their supply chain operations into a source of pride and economic fortune, rather than a drain and economic burden.