Inventory management becomes a global problem when manufacturers get their raw materials or subassemblies from overseas. But before they can manage that inventory, they need know where it is.

They want visibility -- an overused buzzword in domestic supply chains that suddenly sounds fresh and meaningful, especially when the inventory is as likely to be moving on a freighter in the Pacific or sitting in Long Beach customs as it is to be in the warehouse down the street. And as more companies position their production and distribution overseas to be closer to emerging markets, the need for tight, transparent supply chains only intensifies.

“With the globalization of logistics and longer, more complex supply chains, inventory management becomes more critical,” said Evan Armstrong, president of Armstrong & Associates Inc., a Milwaukee-based analyst firm that specializes in logistics.

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