While some companies control every aspect of these functional areas, others choose to outsource one or many of them. The trick, of course, is to find the right outsourcing partner.

For frozen chicken products purveyor Barber Foods, migrating to SAP R/3 put several related projects on the IT team’s plate.

United States Cold Storage, Voorhees, N.J., expects by April to open a temperature-controlled distribution center in Wilmington, Ill.

R&FF:  What has Tyson been doing with third-party carriers?

Keene: We’ve worked toward joint value creation with our common carrier partners for consistent lanes and volumes. We recognize that this allows them to better plan their business.