New Tool Takes Benchmarking to Highest Level

Supply Chain Consortium Unveils Strategic Assessment Dashboard

RALEIGH, NC, June 27, 2007 -- More and more companies today are realizing that if you can’t measure it, then you can’t improve it. But what is the best way to gauge supply chain performance?

The Supply Chain Consortium has the solution with its new Strategic Assessment Dashboard, a tool that is quickly becoming the ultimate index in supply chain benchmarking and best practices. Using an updated user interface, the Dashboard allows Consortium members to compare operations to their entire industry, to specific segments of their industry, or to supply chains in other industries. For instance, an apparel retailer can now see how their distribution tactics compare to the retail industry as a whole, just to their specific clothing niche, or to the entire database across industries.

“Customization, flexibility and different function levels really make the Dashboard superior to other benchmarking tools in the marketplace,” says Bruce Tompkins, facilitator of the Consortium. “It opens up an exciting new era in benchmarking and best practices.”

The powerful new Dashboard provides key knowledge such as:

• How do my operations perform in detail as compared to other groups of companies?
• What are my organization’s strengths and weaknesses as compared to industry segment peers and where are opportunities to close any gaps?
• What specific metrics and processes are the best performing, top quartile companies using?
• What are the multi-year trends for supply chain best practices in my particular industry or across all industries?

The 2007 Supply Chain Consortium was recently expanded to cover four major industries: retail, consumer products manufacturers, industrial/commercial manufacturers, and distributors/wholesalers.

Company specific data is safeguarded by the review facilitator, Tompkins Associates, and is not shared with other members or external entities, and individual responses are kept confidential.

Media Contact
E-mail Keri McManus or call 919-855-5516.

About the Organization
The Supply Chain Consortium is the premier source for supply chain benchmarking and best practices knowledge. With more than 100 participating retail and retail supplier companies, the Supply Chain Consortium sponsors a comprehensive repository of 12,000-plus benchmarks complemented by search capabilities, online analysis tools, topic forums and peer networking for supply chain executives and practitioners. The consortium is led by the needs of its membership and an Advisory Board that includes supply chain executives from Campbell Soup, Hallmark, Ingram Micro, J.C. Penney, Molson Coors, Polo Ralph Lauren, Rite Aid, Target, The Coca-Cola Co., and Whirlpool. To learn more about how your company can become a member of the Supply Chain Consortium, contact John Foley, 919-855-5461 or visit www.supplychainconsortium.com.