International Trade and Logistics in 2004 for Retailers ... · PDF fileto supplier to retailer...

Global markets and the widespread movementof manufacturing to low-labor-cost regionsare creating an increasing array of tough de-cisions and challenges for retailers and

suppliers. What is the right region for sourcing variousgoods (e.g., lower costs of China vs. shorter lead times ofCaribbean/Mexico)? Who should be responsible for themovement of goods—the retailer, the supplier or a thirdparty? Should we ship from the contract manufacturer tothe supplier’s distribution center (DC) or directly to the re-tailer? What is the right role for third-party logistics (3PL)providers and what is the best way to manage them?Where should we invest limited resources to improve in-ternational logistics?

Even when retailers or suppliers are not directly re-sponsible for international transportation, they need to un-derstand this area (or remain ignorant at their own peril).Sarbanes-Oxley mandates accurate accounting, includingunderstanding off-balance-sheet liabilities from an in-creasingly outsourced global-supply base. Post-Sept. 11thsecurity regulations and customs requirements have creat-ed a new reality that must be understood and adapted to.

To shed some light on this, ChainLink Research sur-veyed more than 100 retailers and suppliers, examining is-sues as diverse as where shipments go when they first en-ter the country, who is responsible for the transportation,the role of total-cost-of-goods calculations, visibility infra-structures and the key to successful management of 3PLs.We conclude with a vision of the global virtual factorythat is fast becoming a reality. Knowledge is power—andnecessary for survival in the complex and increasinglycrucial world of international trade.

2B www.chainstoreage.com CHAIN STORE AGE, AUGUST 2004

International Trade and Logistics for Retailers and Their Suppliers

International Trade and

Logistics in 2004 for

Retailers and Their Suppliers

Source of Goods

United States43%

China18%

Rest of Asia12%

Europe9%

Mexico6%

Canada5%

Other3%

Retailer

Supplier

Latin America (excluding Mexico)4%

United States70%China

9%

Rest of Asia2%

Europe3%

Mexico4%

Canada4%

Other4%

Latin America (excluding Mexico)4%

Source: ChainLink Research

Product Sourcesand Destinations

Source of Products

Suppliers in our primarily U.S.-based surveysaid they manufacture 70% of goods domes-

tically in the United States (see chart on page2B). In contrast, retailers sourced almost 60% oftheir goods internationally. Retailers have devel-oped an increasingly broad international sourcingbase, which is a combination of non-U.S. suppli-ers, outsourced manufacturers building on behalfof U.S.-based brand-owners and the retailers’own private-label products manufactured outsidethe United States.

Who Takes Responsibility for International Logistics

The pace of growth in international ship-ments received directly by retailers is strik-

ing. However, the manufacturer still takes re-sponsibility for the majority of shipments and,if anything, the trend is toward even fewer col-lect shipments. Retailers are rightfully wary ofthe challenges of taking on responsibility forinternational transportation.

However, for some retailers with unique re-quirements and capabilities, managing ship-ments from the global sources may be theright thing, e.g., if there is a high value insmall improvements to lead time or inventoryreduction. In general, only very large retailerswill have the scale to get the shipping vol-umes necessary to justify the considerable in-vestments required in infrastructure and ex-pertise.

One example of a company that activelymanages imports is Best Buy. It establishedWest Coast cross-dock facilities to spreadthe peak load over many first ports of call,effectively increasing product flow by morethan 125% in each of the past three years. Itsconsolidation/deconsolidation facilities pro-

vide inventory flexibility—they permit post-poning decisions on which destination DCwill receive goods until just before the prod-uct leaves the deconsolidation point, ratherthan being forced to make those decisionsbefore the shipment leaves the country oforigin. This improves the chain’s responsive-ness to changing demand and ability to shipto the right place, avoiding stockouts and ex-cesses. Best Buy estimates that these strate-gies have removed eight days of inventoryfrom its pipeline of international orders.Many other retailers also have managed in-ternational transportation for their private la-bel for years.

Retailers that are trying to decide whetherto manage inbound transportation need to ex-amine their scale vs. their suppliers’ scale andask who can realize the most cost savings andnegotiating power. In addition, they need totake a long, hard look at the huge investmentin expertise and infrastructure required tomanage the additional complexity of an inter-national supply chain.

CHAIN STORE AGE, AUGUST 2004 www.chainstoreage.com 3B

First Domestic Destination of International Shipments

60%

50

40

30

20

10

0


■ Retailer ■ Supplier

Direct Direct Direct Direct To to supplier to retailer to to 3PL/

DC DC store consumer consolidator

Destination of International Shipments

Our U.S.-based sample of suppliers saidmost goods come into their DC first (see

chart on page 3B). The retailers, which sourcenot just from U.S.-based suppliers, but alsofrom foreign suppliers and direct from contractmanufacturers, receive the majority of ship-ments directly to their DC. Direct-to-store ordirect-to-consumer is reserved for a select setof items such as high-value, short-life products.

Shipping full-container loads of product di-rectly to the retailers’ DCs has some advan-tages, including:

• Reduction in warehouse infrastructure re-quired

• Reduction in labor and handling costs• Reduced pilferage/increased securityIn addition to these operational benefits, in

many cases, manufacturers provide incentivesin the form of discounts for drop shipments.

Some suppliers want to ship to their ownDC for quality-control or compliance purpos-es. This is critical, for example, in the produceindustry where a certain portion of the prod-uct goes bad in transit. The produce supplier

sorts and removes the badproduct before sending iton to its retail customers.In some cases, a distributoror 3PL may provide thistype of quality-assurancefunction.

Some companies aretrying to solve compliancefor goods shipped from acontract manufacturer byshipping it to their own DCand handling the labelingand packaging there. How-ever, this is an expensiveapproach. In the long run,suppliers will do better tobuild the compliance con-sistency into their source

plants. Overcoming challenges, such as lan-guage barriers and training issues, requires ac-tive participation of the supplier’s representa-tive on the ground at the source factory.

3PLs may offer specialized facilities and ser-vices that cater to industry-specific requirements,such as processing and distributing flowers orproviding “store ready” services in clothing andapparel. Another value some 3PL companiescan provide is in-transit merge. For example,containers of tables and other containers ofchairs from a different origin are delivered to acentralized cross-dock location where the 3PLunpacks the containers, sorts the tables andchairs into the appropriate configuration anddelivers them to regional distribution centers.

Key International Issuesand Areas of InvestmentOur survey showed that the top internation-

al issue for retailers in 2004 is on-time deliv-ery (see chart above). For suppliers, it’s fore-casting. These are, of course, two sides to thesame coin. With international shipments,there is a much higher degree of uncertaintyor variation in delivery times due to weather


Most Important International Problems for 2004

25%

20

15

10

5

0



On-time Visibility Customs Accurate Duty/ Floor- Forecasting Finding Otherdelivery and clearing/ shipments harmonization ready the right

information paperwork coding 3PLavailability partner


conditions, customs and paperwork delays,many hand-off delays, etc. As a result, on-time delivery is much more challenging thandomestic transport. Because of the longer andless-predictable lead times, forecasting be-comes a bigger challenge, as well.

Also high on the list of issues were productvisibility and customs clearing/documenta-tion—both of which are key to improving on-time delivery.

2004 International Investments

We asked where companies are invest-ing in 2004 to tackle their international

challenges. The responses fell into the follow-ing categories:

• Cost-of-Goods Reduction • Time to Market, Lead Times and Service

Levels • Forecasting and Demand Management• Visibility and Technology Infrastructure• Sourcing • Packaging • Third-Party Management • Transportation • Customs • Country-of-Origin Labeling • Compliance

Cost-of-Goods Reduction

Reduction of COGs continues to be a pri-mary motivator for international sourc-

ing. This was identified as a key area of in-vestment for 2004. Smart companies, how-ever, don’t focus on material price alone, butrather try to get a handle on total cost. Ascompanies are buying increasingly complexcomponents and services from an increasinglydispersed global supply base, the drivers oftotal cost beyond the base-material costs be-come much more important. These includesuch things as transportation costs, duties andtariffs, the cost of quality, manufacturabili-ty, serviceability, demand-supply matching

risks—i.e., flexibility of supply (upside anddownside), disposal costs, packaging costs,inventory carrying costs, relationship costs,currency fluctuations, etc.

Global strategic sourcing offers a more so-phisticated approach to selecting and managingthe supply base and the procurement of directmaterials—longer-term relationships, continuousimprovement, supplier scorecards, and tools andmethodologies for measuring the true total costof supply. An ideal approach accurately calcu-lates the effect of the supplier’s performance onall aspects of the total cost. This ideal is muchharder to realize than to visualize (see sidebarabove). Take, for example, calculating the truetotal cost of quality. You need to know the fail-


Total-cost calculation requires a sophisti-cated data model and capabilities for ac-

cumulating the elements of landed cost. It in-cludes:● Ability to efficiently obtain quotes on rawmaterial—i.e., cotton or wool—from multiplevendors around the world (New Zealand,Australia, United States, China, etc.) through atimely RFQ process. ● Ability to track and accumulate various lo-gistics, customs and additional processingcosts as the materials flow from the sourcefactory through each processing facility to thenext until they arrive in their final packagedstate at the retailer. ● Tracking additional costs to the retailerthroughout their inbound-logistics process allthe way to checkout, including things such asreturn or disposal of shipping/packaging mate-rials, and carrying costs of the inventory be-tween receipt and sale.● Providing sourcing personnel with a com-parative total estimated landed cost for the“final state” product from the various vendorsso that an “optimal” buy can be identified. ● Comparison of actual vs. predicted costs forthese elements to validate the total-cost model.● Providing a complete, accurate view of theitem from the “final state” back to the raw-material state, showing the original vendorand country of origin, processing steps, etc.

Total-Cost Requirements

ure rate for each componentor assembly at each stage ofits life (incoming inspection,final test, in the field, etc.)and the total cost per failureat each stage, includingthings such as inspectioncosts, repair costs, paper-work costs, transportation,technician’s time, slow-downs in production, etc.This requires rigorous ac-tivity-based costing. On topof that, you need to factor inand put a dollar figure onthe damage to customer loy-alty and the resulting long-term loss of revenue andmarket share from failuresin the field.

You also may need tounderstand the currency risks that arise fromsourcing overseas. If there is a six-month peri-od from the time you place an order until it ar-rives, the currency fluctuations could put thegoods at a very different price than originallyplanned. Right now, that is not an issue forChina since it’s pegged to the dollar, but thateventually may change.

Although achieving true total-cost calcula-tion capabilities can appear overwhelming,companies can realize significant value bytaking modest incremental steps in that direc-tion, e.g., implementing landed-cost calcula-tors to include tariffs and duties. Knowing thetotal cost helps drive smarter decisions onsourcing and helps companies pinpoint theareas ripest for improvement.

Visibility and Technology Infrastructure

Visibility and the integration infrastructurewere mentioned by many respondents as

key areas of investment for 2004. These are re-quired for dealing with the complexities and

variabilities in the interna-tional supply chain (manyhand-offs, customs delays,etc.). This includes visibilityfor both goods in motion(trace and track) and goodsat rest (factory/warehouse/DC visibility). The longerthe supply chain is, themore links are involved, andthe greater the opportunityfor delays and document er-rors. Additional complexityrelated to language, unit ofmeasure and other regionaldifferences makes it impor-tant to identify key eventsalong the supply chain, andimplement technology tomanage and monitor theseevents.

Front-End—Back-End IntegrationThe requirement for integrating front-end or-

der management with the back-end visibilityacross the global-supply network is becomingincreasingly important as companies havewarehouses, DCs and factories spread out allover the world. It may make sense to pull a sin-gle order from multiple locations, and this re-quires technology, integration and collaborationwith various locations to make those decisionsintelligently in real time. This requires interac-tion between the rules in the order-fulfillmentand WMS (warehouse management systems)with some sophistication built into the alloca-tion algorithms. For example, for products witha limited shelf life, if the oldest products arein a location further away, the system shoulddetermine if it’s worth the extra transportationcost to use up the older product, rather than pullthe newer product that is in a closer location.Visibility alone is not enough—there needs tobe built-in intelligence to make these decisions.Many of today’s information systems (such asYantra) have business rules built in to facilitatethese complex scenarios.



Visibility/Technology Areas Mentioned by Respondents:

● RFID● Trace and track● Case-level visibility● ITL (international trade and

logistics) solutions● WMS (warehouse manage-

ment systems)● Data integrity and integration● Information availability● Communications and

information infrastructure● Standardization● IT investments with OEM/

ODM partners to meet retail and commercial partners’ order and shipment requirements

● Traceability

Nested VisibilityTo get visibility down to the item level does

not necessarily require item-level tagging andtracking. Item-level visibility throughout thechain can be achieved if your systems are capa-ble of nesting (i.e., they understand items with-in cases within pallets within containers withinvehicles—see illustration above). The nestingrelationship’s data model needs to be updatedat each hand-off point as containers are movedfrom ship to rail or pallets are moved to differ-ent containers, etc. This requires that the 3PLs,consolidators, deconsolidators and other part-ners along the chain have the processes andtechnology in place for nested tracking—onemore argument for careful trade-lane mappingand selection of all end-to-end transportation-chain partners. Because few companies (includ-

ing 3PLs) are capable of this level of global co-ordination and information management, somelarge firms have decided to build their ownhubs and infrastructure.

Management by ExceptionVisibility should be used to create alerts

about key events, not to create an overwhelm-ing tidal wave of data. This is where a lot ofthe work is—building in the intelligence andrules to know what events are important. Forexample, if a truck bound for port is delayed, itis not necessarily important unless it will missthe ship’s loading deadline. By understandingthe impact down the chain of each event, thesystem can be designed to minimize alerts toonly those relevant ones that require action.

Avoiding Blind SpotsYou lose visibility when product moves into


Movement Vehicle Movement Vehicle

ContainerContainer

Pallet

Package Package PackagePackage

Items

Layer 5

Layer 4

Layer 3

Layer 2

Layer 1

Layer 0

Transport Unit Transport Unit

Nested Visibility

Item-level visibility is possible if the data model supports nesting. Different items will have differentnesting configurations—for example, candy bars in store-readypackages in cases on pallets in acontainer vs. a large screen TVloaded individually into the container. These nested units often are reconfigured as itemsmake their way from factory to retail shelf. With a complete nested data model and support for accurately recording reconfigura-tions at each step of the deliverychain, you can track the statusdown to the level of individualitems in your vehicles and warehouses.


a location that is not adding information, e.g.,a container depot that does not track and trans-mit to you the movement of goods through it.You may know product went to the depot, buthave a blind spot until it arrives at the vesselsite. These blind spots also can potentiallycompromise security and “green lane” status.To maintain certification, you need to be ableto audit and record every change in custodian-ship to ensure that only trusted parties havehandled the shipment. Good, clean documen-tation with accurate product and shipment in-formation all along the line is needed, whetherexport or import.

Networked Integration ModelIdeally, the documents and records of

changes of custodianship are being recordedelectronically and made available to eachplayer across the global-delivery network(with proper secure-access controls on a need-to-know basis). This is an argument for a net-worked system accessible to all the multipleplayers involved in international trade. Thisensures that there is a “single version of thetruth,” reduces manual labor and re-keying er-rors, and makes it easier to integrate new part-ners, giving added flexibility to partner selec-tion.

Packaging and Packing

One potential improvement is more con-sideration of the end-customer packag-

ing and packing requirements at the offshoresource. Trade-offs are lower labor costs andless repacking vs. potentially higher shippingcosts. There are also different levels of packag-ing for different modes (air freight typically re-quires a stronger container than containerizedocean freight) or the number of transshipments(more requires stronger packaging). These af-fect insurance costs, as well. Other considera-tions include the bulkiness of packaging, dis-posal and ease of handling.

Staying on top of new packaging technolo-gies is key. In certain areas, such as reusablecontainers for cold chain, there have been manyrecent advances. The logistics community hasrecognized these specialized material handlingneeds, responding by providing a new rangeof services to manage product that requiresspecial handling and control. These offeringsinclude customized packaging, e.g., tempera-ture-controlled packing containers that retaina constant temperature and monitor deviationsin external factors. The 3PL community hastaken the lead in this area developing special-ized services.

Third-Party Management

Expanding Scope

3PLs play increasingly important roles inrunning international logistics. As such,

the selection and management of 3PL perfor-mance has become critical to the success ofinternational operations. 3PLs are no longerjust managing carriers, but, in some cases,managing the contract manufacturer or sup-plier or customer demand and fulfillment, aswell as the IT services. Technologies and ser-vices exist to create a virtual environment,which enables the involvement of many par-ties in the end-to-end execution. This allows


● Packaging and flavor application capabilities● Specialized packaging developments● Full-pallet shrink wrapping● Redesign of source packing to eliminate duplication of

costs in the United States

Packaging Mentioned by Respondents:

● 3PL partners● Consolidators● 3PL performance

Third-Party Management Areas Mentioned by

Respondents:


for new complex scenarios and trade-offs. Forexample, you might want to consolidate inSingapore and drop ship from there to yourcustomer. Or you may want to consolidate ata regional DC, where your warehousing andlabor costs are lower.

Regional ExpertiseIt is hard to overstate the importance of re-

gional expertise. You may have a large, glob-al 3PL acting as the lead logistics provider,but in the end, you need someone on theground who speaks the local language, knowsthe local politics and knows which palms togrease to cut through the red tape and keepthe goods moving. Most global players willuse regional players to get the expertise andsurge capacity they need. The global players’value comes in the coordination and singlepoint of accountability they should provide.

Performance ManagementThe involvement of so many parties in-

creases the importance of clear definition ofresponsibility—setting and enforcing the rulesand performance requirements. These agree-ments should cover all the bases—sending ofaccurate electronic documentation in a timelymanner, on-time delivery, etc.—and clearlylay out the rewards and punishments.

Software technology is valuable in helpingdefine and, more importantly, monitor perfor-mance against service-level agreements, andidentify exceptions so that performance canbe improved. Performance measurement andmanagement discipline improves predictabili-ty and performance, and lowers cost.

Customs

Customs rules and procedures are compli-cated in all industries, but even more so

in some such as food, drugs and apparel. Foodand drugs in many cases have to be randomlysampled, which can translate into significantdelays if sampling rates are high, not to men-tion needing your “bakers dozen” (extra prod-uct) to account for product used in sampling.

Clothing and apparel companies are someof the biggest importers, and customs wants toknow the country of origin and transshipmentsto make sure that the goods don’t come fromanother factory with underage workers. Con-cern about the source-factory practices meanscustoms can ask for cutting sheets (age of theactual individual who cut and sewed the cloth)as part of the export package. When in doubt,customs can detain containers they believemight come from a source the United Statesdoesn’t want to do business with. Frequently,the cheapest source of supply is a high-riskarea in this regard—so buyer beware! Sourc-ing strategies should include an educationprogram where personnel responsible for rawmaterial, component and product sourcing areeducated in potential hazards and understandhow to avoid this at the time of supplier con-tract negotiation. At the most basic level, it isimportant to ensure that the supplier is ableto assemble a complete documentation pack-age—in English! This is critical to ensuringthat goods move through the process and arenot detained or even denied entry.


Offshore Manufacturing Compliance Guidelines

When will you introduce compliance guidelines for offshore manufacturing?

60%

50

40

30

20

10

0



Already 2004 2005 2006+ No Notin place plans applicable

Compliance

Slightly more than half of the retailersand about 40% of suppliers already

have compliance guidelines in place foroffshore manufacturing (see chart on page9B). Compliance should be addressed dur-ing procurement and sourcing by commu-nicating and pinning down all the detailedcompliance requirements when certifyingsuppliers. The lowest-cost supplier maynot meet your needs. The cost of inspect-ing and fixing mistakes can be higher thanthe difference in material costs. This oftenrequires working closely with the suppli-er to build the right capabilities and edu-cate their work force.

Conclusion: The Global Virtual Factory

Activities related to the translation ofproduct descriptions to customs classifica-tions, defining transportation and storage re-quirements—the intricate detail that is partof the fabric of global trade—are performedby a multitude of players. These include cus-toms brokers, primary and secondary carri-ers, as well as storage and equipmentproviders. Then there is the critical elementof the “first” or “last” mile. This includesthe movement of goods from primary point ofentry to manufacturing, conversion and stor-age locations, and the subsequent intricaciesrelated to order fulfillment—to retail stores



Global Virtual Factory Example

Cotton Farm

Mills AncillaryComponents

Cutting/Sewing

Packaging &Labeling

Distribution RetailStore

This is a highly simplified illustration of an example of the global virtual factory. It showsthat there are many possible choices for eachstep in the process, from raw source materialsto the retailer’s shelf. The “supply chain mas-ter” (if there is one) designs the virtual factory, making choices on where, when and how eachof the steps takes place. More and more thereis flexibility in how and where things are done.For example, postponing the dying of cloth orthe packaging and labeling to much later in thechain, to better match supply with demand.

The supply chain master configures the globalvirtual factory to meet their specific goals, suchas minimizing total cost or maximizing flexibilityand agility. Many factors go into these decisionssuch as the location and requirements of theend market(s) being served, location of rawmaterials, duties, tariffs, quotas, regulations, po-litical stability of regions, labor costs and skills,infrastructure maturity, transportation times/costs, perishability and/or price-erosion of theproduct, buying power of various players, etc.

Real supply chains are much more complexthan what is shown here. They will have manymore steps in the process (for example, fromcotton to cloth can involve dozens of steps, in-stead of the single step illustrated here). Fur-thermore, they will have many more nodes tochoose from than what is illustrated—tens ofthousands of mills, factories, packaging opera-tions and distribution facilities to choose from,as well as hundreds of thousands of potentialretail outlets to ship to.


or, more recently, direct to consumer.This requires warehouses, delivery fleetsand regional operation—in many casesa series of small players that extend thelogistics reach of the brand masters.Managed by 3PL providers, and dressedin the colors of the brands that they rep-resent, an extended network of logisticsproviders, both small and large, create aseamless flow of goods, information andcash, from supply to demand.

This is the new virtual factory wherethe convergence between manufacturing,assembly, delivery and service createsnew and exciting opportunities for thosewho recognize them as such. New ser-vices provided by these members of theextended enterprise go beyond those tra-ditionally related to storage and distribu-tion. Value-added processing activities include thoserequired for retail-customer compliance, to includeconfiguration, assembly, packaging, labeling, pallet-izing—whatever the market demands. Extending thecustomer-relationship model beyond the initial prod-uct sale, third-party providers offer services in thearea of product installation, recall, service and re-pair.

(Excerpt from “Future Forward Logistics: Creat-ing an Extended Global Enterprise” by CarlaFrances Reed, Published April 2004, ChainLink Re-search, Inc.)

This paints a remarkable vision of the end-to-endnetwork of contract manufacturers, brand owners, re-tailers and third parties that is instrumented and opti-mized like a physical factory. For example, the loca-tion of inventory could be managed globally across allof the various locations, including the work inprogress at various stages in various factories; thegoods in motion on the various carriers; and the goodsat rest in various factories, DCs, warehouses, consoli-dation and deconsolidation points, and retail outlets.

Once this global factory is instrumented (i.e., hasvisibility and measurements at every step), it can beoptimized, for example, by moving assembly orpackaging downstream to postpone differentiation,or by moving compliance applications upstream toreduce cost. The dream of a global virtual factory isnot so far-fetched. For years, Li & Fung and a select

few global trading companies have put componentsof this vision into practice. Making it a reality re-quires a deep understanding of the supply chain andconnections in the various regions. It also demandsthe discipline of performance guarantees that arebaked into the relationships between the parties inthe form of SLAs (Service-Level Agreements), met-rics and monitoring systems at every step. The desireto move closer to the ideal of a global virtual factoryis highlighted in suppliers’ and retailers’ choices ofthe ITL (international trade and logistics) functionsthat provide the most value to them (see chartabove).

Creating a successful global virtual factory is notjust about ITL technology. It is critically important tounderstand the international landscape—the politicsand culture, as well as the strengths and weaknessesof hugely diverse regions. It is essential to have apresence on the ground that is intimately familiarwith the ins and outs of the arenas you play in. Thenall of the options can be considered—where yousource raw materials, where each step of processingand assembly takes place, when and what to consoli-date, what is the optimal postponement strategy andlocation, etc. Through the right combination of expe-rienced partners, smart use of technology and, ofcourse, deep knowledge, this Gordian Knot of inter-national trade can be unraveled and the advantages ofan optimized global virtual factory can be fully real-ized. ●


Most Valuable ITL Functions

Which ITL (international trade and logistics) functions provide the most value?

25%

20

15

10

5

0



In-tra

nsit

visibi

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y visi

bility

Ord

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anag

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Analy

tics

TMS

Tota

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stFin

ancia

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tion.,

etc.)

RFID

supp

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3PL/

Cons

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Acknowledgment

T H E N E W S M A G A Z I N E F O R R E T A I L E X E C U T I V E SCHAIN STORE AGE ®

ChainLink Research is a bold new supply chain research organization dedicated tohelping executives improve business performance and competitiveness. Chain-Link was founded on the premise that supply chains are market driven and that themanagement of the links between the companies has become the key determinantof the winners and losers. ChainLink’s fresh approach to supply chain research,actionable analysis and high-impact decision-making workshops helps manufactur-ers, retailers and technology firms enter new markets, expand share and achievepeak performance in their markets.

ChainLink focuses solely on supply chain. Our 3PE methodology encompassesthe Policies, Processes, Performance and Enablers for realizing supply chain ex-cellence. Our world-class team has created a rich knowledge base of timely, next-generation business innovations, practices and technologies such as supply chainnetworks and small/smart/fast technologies.

ChainLink’s customers have achieved dramatic business transformation and re-sults they could not get from other firms. We customize our research and findings tomeet your specific objectives.

ChainLink Research bridges the gulf between supply chain managers and theCEO’s team. Emerging and leading supply chain executives have recognized Chain-Link as the foremost supply chain thought leader and action catalyst for the 21stcentury.

For more information, please contact us at (617) 762-4040, ext. 415, or via e-mail [email protected], or visit us on the Web at www.ChainLinkResearch.com.

Chain Store Age is the leading publication serving retail headquarters management. Amonthly newsmagazine, Chain Store Age reports and analyzes trends and strategies inthe following areas:

Chain Store Age has been published since 1925. Its readers include chain headquar-ters decision makers from department stores, discount stores, specialty stores, super-markets, convenience stores, variety stores, general merchandise stores, drug stores,home centers and hardware chains, and nonstore retailers, as well as shopping cen-ter owners and developers.

For more information on Chain Store Age magazine, contact Murray Forseter, Publisher/Editor, 425 Park Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10022, (212) 756-5257.

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International Trade and Logistics in 2004 for Retailers ... · PDF fileto supplier to retailer...

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