BOSTON, MA, May 10, 2006 -- Enterprises are penalized for slow response to market demand. At the same time, supply chains are expanding across the globe, creating greater uncertainties that have a direct impact on corporate performance.

Now, it's more important than ever for supply chain professionals to share information and best practices across their networks -- collaboration indeed.

According to a just-released study by AberdeenGroup, "The Supply Chain Integration Benchmark Report: Warehouse Without Walls," today's collaborative supply chain relationships venture far beyond the ability to pass business transactions back and forth efficiently. "It's a series of communications where value is added at each communication -- knowledge is shared," says John Fontanella, Sr. VP of Research.

Best in Class companies engaging in high-end collaboration are seeing tangible results due to shared knowledge across their operations.

Key findings in the report include Best in Class companies reporting:

* (1) Top performing companies have cash-to-cycle times that are 25% shorter than their peers and

* (2) On-time delivery performance and order fill rates far exceed others responding to the survey. Less company assets are committed to the fulfillment process. The impact is significant on both the top and bottom line.

"Departmental rivalries, misaligned goals and performance metrics, and poor partner management policies contribute to a company's inability to create more fluid and flexible fulfillment operations," says John Fontanella, Sr. VP of Research. "Top performers achieving collaborative efforts across their supply chain can see their positive results on the bottom line."

Characteristics of top performing companies include:

-- The ability to rapidly assemble or reassemble supply chain services to meet specific needs by using insourced or outsourced logistics and manufacturing services and

-- The willingness to evaluate logistics service providers on both their operational and technical excellence. The majority of top logistics enterprises include supply chain performance metrics as part of their supplier agreements.

To download a complimentary copy of the report, follow this link: http://www.aberdeen.com/link/source.asp?cid=2854&pid=PR051006

About AberdeenGroup, Inc.

Aberdeen provides fact-based research and insights focused on the global, technology-driven value chain. Aberdeen's benchmarking, market and solution assessments, sales acceleration programs, and conferences support Global 5000 value chain and technology executives -- and the solution providers who serve them. For more information, visit http://www.aberdeen.com or call 617-723-7890.