mpact all industries in the coming year, according to Tompkins International’s Strategies to Transform Your Supply Chains in 2012.

“China and global operations have been hot issues for the past few years, and the growth in these areas continues,” says Jim Tompkins, President and CEO of Tompkins International. “Now, because companies are seeking ways to carry lower inventory and be more proactive, we are increasingly talking with organizations about building demand-driven supply chains.”

According to the new insights released by Tompkins, demand-driven focuses on “pulling products to sales” versus “pushing products to markets.” It is a customer-centric process that allows all supply chain partners to operate off the same consensus sales forecast.

For companies seeking a competitive advantage, this year is also slated to see record-high merger and acquisition (M&A) activity. Board directors are pushing for higher growth, and investment capital is available.

“To create higher value with M&A activity, it is important that companies redouble their efforts on two critical requirements: speed and due diligence,” Tompkins notes. “You want to ensure that you get the deal before the other guy gets it, but at the same time, you need to make certain that you have the right business combinations throughout your supply chain.”

Read more about the Strategies to Transform Your Supply Chains in 2012 at the Tompkins website: http://www.tompkinsinc.com/2012/. Learn the trends and challenges for your industry – consumer products, food and beverage, footwear and apparel, industrial and equipment, logistics service providers, pharmaceutical and medical products, and retail.

About Tompkins International
Tompkins International transforms supply chains to help create value for all organizations. For more than 35 years, Tompkins has provided end-to-end solutions on a global scale, helping clients align business and supply chain strategies through operations planning, design and implementation. The company delivers leading-edge business and supply chain solutions by optimizing the Mega Processes of PLAN-BUY-MAKE-MOVE-STORE-SELL. Tompkins supports clients in achieving profitable growth in all areas of global supply chain and market growth strategy, organization, operations, process improvement, technology implementation, material handling integration, and benchmarking and best practices. Headquartered in Raleigh, NC, USA, Tompkins has offices throughout North America and in Europe and Asia. For more information, visit www.tompkinsinc.com.

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