SDCExec.com |

It's a casual Friday at the corporate headquarters of Alphagraphics Print Shops of the Future in Tucson, Arizona and Mike Witte can't sit still. The company's Chairman and CEO isn't anxious, just focused on making sure the company lives up to its name.

We talked to Witte and other executives to find out how companies are mining data from their demand and supply chains to produce useful business intelligence. The great leveler is information technology that connects operational and analytical processes, which shifts the focus from transactions to strategy.

What's the next frontier? It's not going to be another tool or technology. I think it's human capital& says Clint Grimes, Director of Sourcing Services at ICG Commerce.

However, in the current frontier, as the following examples illustrate, companies first have to aggregate data from different business units and external processes, then figure out what kinds of information they need and what they're going to do with it. This Web-enabled environment allows companies to weave their demand and supply chains into whole cloth using knowledge like needles.

What are the benefits? Higher customer retention, lower customer acquisition costs, more accurate demand forecasting, faster product development, improved sourcing, less inventory, less supply chain redundancy, faster delivery and more customers. Suddenly, things are starting to make sense.

The Fully Integrated, Web-Enabled Company

AlphaGraphics is the full Monty. Founded in 1970, the Tucson, Arizona company provides digital publishing services to business customers through its 350 franchised stores in 25 countries. Storeowners use AlphaLink, the company's intranet, to order supplies and equipment, exchange data, request marketing support and register for training programs. Customers can process most of their orders online through their local stores' Web sites, all of which are integrated with AlphaLink to facilitate account management and analysis.