I had a blast with our four logistics and supply chain technology analysts this past month in preparing our 2008 Technology Roundtable. These conversations gave me the opportunity to find out what applications and tools are hot on their radar, but more importantly, it allowed me to gauge how far along they believe shippers are in the slow but steady adoption of what’s available to them.

The Q&A style feature is also a great way to get clear and definitive answers to the simple questions pertaining to applications shippers have heard about but may not fully understand: What is SaaS and how does it work? How can shippers benefit from BI? Is total supply chain visibility just a myth? If you’re not sure what SaaS or BI stand for, or if you’re still struggling with the concept of achieving any level of shipment visibility, rest assured you’re not alone—and you’ve come to the right place.

You’ll learn that SaaS could offer you superior functionality at a fraction of the cost, but there are some drawbacks in customization. You’ll see that there are business intelligence (BI) applications that are working well for companies that are willing to put in the grunt work up front. And you’ll learn that, according to Aberdeen’s Ian Hobkirk, “supply chain visibility is like happiness—everybody wants it, but nobody agrees on what it means or how to get it.”

I want to thank AMR’s John Fontanella, ARC’s Adrian Gonzalez, Aberdeen Group’s Ian Hobkirk, and Manufacturing Insights’ Simon Ellis for offering LM readers their unique views into these tools and trends.

And as we have for the past three years, we’re bringing this panel to shippers live on our 2008 Technology Roundtable webcast scheduled for Thursday, May 29, at 1:00 p.m. EDT. This live event will have the panelists digging deeper into the questions they’ve answered and will give shippers the opportunity to interact directly with the panel.

You’ve heard the hype, now understand what the hype is all about. You may be surprised to learn that many of these new tools are well within your grasp. Register for the 2008 Technology Roundtable at logisticsmgmt.com/tech08.

A quick note: I’m pleased to announce that Jeff Berman has been promoted to Group News Editor for RBI’s Supply Chain Group of magazines and websites. Over the past two and a half years, Jeff has been leading the news charge helping to create a daily newsroom feel. His work has driven our web traffic through the roof as thousands of shippers are now turning to us for their daily fix.

In his new role, Jeff will actually be more involved with LM’s online news initiatives and will be helping our sister publications install a more comprehensive news reporting process. Many of you have spoken to or have met Jeff over the past couple years, so drop him a line to congratulate him at jeff.berman@reedbusiness.com.

Comments? E-mail me at michael.levans@reedbusiness.com