Hello and welcome to the Supply Chain Consortium.  You have been invited by your peers to participate in a Benchmarking and Best Practices process that has the potential to significantly enhance the performance of your supply chain.  Benchmarking compares your supply chain strategies, operations, processes and performances to that of your peers and to companies that are thought to be exceptional performers. Best Practices identify the supply chain processes that have proven to deliver superior results in real world implementations.  The initiatives sponsored by the consortium answer many questions for you and other members, including:

	Economic Impact – How do I stack up to my peers?  Where can I improve?
	Costs – Are my supply chain costs competitive?
	Operations – How do my operating characteristics compare to my peers (e.g. freight terms, modes, contract relationships, etc.)?  What operating characteristics are found most often in the best performing supply chains?
	Performance Measurement – How do my peers measure supply chain performance?  Where do they stand in developing measurement processes?  What are their goals?  Where do they stand in achieving those goals?
	Collaboration – How much real collaboration is there today with suppliers and logistics service providers?  How much visibility do you have up and down your supply chain?  What is being done on performance scorecards, incentive programs and innovative contractual relationships?
	Outsourcing – Where and why do my peers use outsourcing?  Does outsourcing result in lower overall costs and better service?
	Technology – What technologies are my peers using in their supply chain operations?  What is working and what is not?  Is there a correlation between the use of technology and supply chain effectiveness?  What are the near term priorities in technology?
	Supply Chain Network – How does the design of my inbound supply chain network compare to my peers?  Is my network more or less efficient?  More or less reliable?
	Organization – How does my organization structure compare to my peers?  Are some organization structures more effective than others?  Where is control for key functions vested?
	Value – How do my peers demonstrate the contribution their operation is making towards overall corporate goals?

All data provided by consortium members are aggregated with data provided by other members.  Company specific data is safeguarded by the review facilitator, Tompkins Associates, and is not shared with other members or external entities in any form that could be attributed to a specific participant.  Individual responses are kept absolutely confidential.

The Supply Chain Consortium provides a broad range of tools, events and processes to its members to drive world class performance, including:

	Extensive online interviews that collect data on more than 11,000 benchmark and best practice data points
	Hot Topic outreaches that collect, analyze and disseminate insights on current events and breakout trends that merit immediate member consideration
	Online queries and filters for analyzing the data gathered in online interviews and Hot Topics
	A search tool for quickly locating consortium resources on specific issues
	Executive Seminars – two-day events attended by supply chain executives each year to examine the latest benchmarking and best practice data, including breakout sessions focused on key issues that emphasize executive interaction
	Strategic Assessment Dashboard – A "top down" confidential view of each member’s supply chain that answers the fundamental questions – How am I doing overall and where are the gaps?
	Analytical reports – in-depth reports that provide meaningful summaries of benchmarking and best practice data and practical guidance on applying key learning’s
	PeerNet – a shared list of member contact information and functional expertise that fosters the direct exchange of personal experiences in applying best practices
	Topic Forums – open, online discussion forums that allow members to share experiences and insights on a broad range of supply chain issues
	Training Aids – self-paced training courses that guide members through the effective application of each of the consortium’s resources

The links on the Resource Center home page provide additional information on each of these resources.

The Supply Chain Consortium is led by an Advisory Board composed of senior supply chain executives.  The Advisory Board provides guidance on process content, development priorities and peer invitations.  The companies represented on the board include:

The Supply Chain Consortium for 2007 has been expanded to cover four major industries:

• Retail

• Consumer Products Manufacturers

• Industrial/Commercial Manufacturers

• Distributors/Wholesalers

In addition to industry designations, consortium member companies are further defined by market segments as follows:

• Apparel, Fabric and Accessories

• Automotive and Truck Parts

• Department Store and Discount

• Electronics

• Grocery, Food and Beverage

• Hardware and Home Improvement

• Hobby, Toys, Arts and Crafts

• Home Products/Furniture/Appliances

• Personal Care and Drugs

• Specialty

These industry and market segment designations are useful for filtering the data to provide comparisons of "companies like me".

Tompkins Associates designs and integrates premier, global end-to-end solutions for companies that embrace supply chain excellence. For more than 30 years, Tompkins has evolved with the marketplace to become the leading provider of global supply chain services, distribution operations consulting, technology implementation, material handling integration, and benchmarking and best practices. Tompkins works closely with companies to ensure that their supply chains fully support their mission and business plans, as well as future growth. The company is headquartered in Raleigh, NC. For more information, visit www.tompkinsinc.com.