The transition to collaborative manufacturing and distribution is going to take some time despite all the hype, says Kevin O'Marah, service director at AMR Research, Boston, Mass.

He says that on the chart above most companies are still in phase one, but probably near the end of that phase. The next step is to share information before true collaboration can take place, O'Marah told the Logility Users' Conference.

Making those transitions between phases won't be easy. Companies have to do more than just share information. "If I'm not interested in helping you, my partner, to make more money, all we've done is share information. It isn't collaboration yet," he says. "It's going to take all partners to understand the profitability of others."