Top 10 Supply Chain Trends for Manufacturers in 2008

Analyst firm Manufacturing Insights, an IDC Company, spoke various people involved in the manufacturing industry -- technology vendors, consultants and buyers -- to get an idea about what the year 2008 will mean for manufacturers. After analyzing the economic backdrop for 2008 as well as the current state of information technology, following are the top 10 predictions for how supply chain management and technology will evolve this year.

1. Large manufacturing firms will move toward a globally integrated business model.
2. IT organizations will accelerate spending on collaborative decision environments and incubate multi-enterprise business networks.
3. Globally integrated business models will dictate that supply chain organizations reinforce the fundamentals.
4. IT spending in the supply chain area will focus on fulfillment execution.
5. Product lifecycle management will become an enterprise strategy.
6. Product management software investments will be geared to integrating processes, not automating tasks.
7. For RFID, forget technology; vendors must demonstrate business value now.
8. For environmental compliance and corporate responsibility, your supplier's problems will become your problems.
9. Manufacturing firms will tackle the challenges of aging/emerging workforces with investment in organic knowledge management.
10. Machine-to-machine technology will emerge as a key enabler to enhanced service delivery.

Source: Manufacturing Insights

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