Looking for cost benefits from outsourcing? A new information resource hopes to provide a clear and concise look at the advantages and challenges associated with the burgeoning business proposition.

Logistics and Manufacturing Outsourcing: Harness Your Core Competencies demonstrates how to create and maintain a successful outsourcing relationship that benefits companies' supply chains, according to the book's authors.

"Outsourcing can open up a world of opportunity, but it can also create major setbacks if not approached as a core competency," says James A. Tompkins, Ph.D., one of the volume's authors. Tompkins illustrates that the book is intended for a C-level audience of logistics and manufacturing executives.

The book includes real-life case studies, a five-minute dissertation on the merits of outsourcing and a list of key risks associated with outsourcing and how to avoid making common mistakes.

The book's authors, all consultants with Tompkins Associates, have logged over 100 years in the logistics and manufacturing sectors. "We've seen outsourcing from all angles, and it isn't always pretty," quips Steve Simonson, author. "This makes us uniquely qualified to share the secret to harnessing the power behind outsourcing with others."