In the 1990's, the supply chain was driven by improvements in technology. Too many companies believed that most problems inside an organization could be solved with the implementation of new software and systems.

Today, that notion is being turned on its head.

"Leaders across industry verticals are developing business processes and strategies first, then they're applying technology to support those processes," explains Greg Aimi, research director of supply chain at AMR Research ( www.amrresearch.com).

That shift in thinking was the theme of Supply Chain Excellence: Mastering Demand for Profitable Growth,AMR's Supply Chain Executive Conference.

Aimi says companies are "starting at the end of their supply chains with the demand from their customers, and working backwards. Instead of maximizing output, they're looking at what their customers are buying, where they are buying it; and how they are buying it. Then they're finding the most productive ways to fill that demand."

AMR refers to this as the demand driven supply network, or DDSN. "The demand driven supply network will be the basis of competition that underlies consolidation in industries," Aimi says.