Today’s supply chain is, of course, the primary processing mechanism of every manufacturing company. But it’s more than that: Its multifaceted, multicompany, multinational structure makes it the most complex management challenge found in any enterprise. Supply chain management no longer means just making sure that the right resources and the right materials move to the right place at the right time.

Today, it also means ensuring that the entire chain of events involved in producing goods and distributing them to customers satisfies customers, minimizes costs and maximizes profit.