Beyond Supply Chain Management: Supply Chain Synthesis and Technology

by James A. Tompkins

You can't spell business without "e." And business-to-business (B2B) e-commerce is hot right now. Analysts predict that B2B sales over the Internet will reach US $500 billion by early next year and be up to $2 trillion by 2004 (it is possible that they may even reach $10 trillion). In comparison, the prediction for business-to-consumer (B2C) e-commerce sales is that they will not reach $400 billion until 2003. Business analysts believe that B2B will cut costs, reinvent supply chains, improve communications, and improve customer satisfaction. Thus, almost overnight, companies are trying to implement this new business model in anticipation of gaining new market share, conquering material cost inflation, and increasing margins.