Today, as more and more organizations strive to improve productivity and profitability by dedicating the bulk of their resources to their core competencies, many of them are looking for efficient and cost-effective ways to outsource ancillary and support activities. Nowhere is this trend more prominent than among supply chain-centric organizations such as retailers, wholesalers, distributors, and manufacturers.

But, as many of these companies have begun to reduce staffing levels and related expenses through outsourcing strategies, they have been challenged to dedicate the needed resources to effective inventory management – hindering both sales efforts and customer service delivery.