Different types of companies seem to be at different levels of professionalism when it comes to managing supply chains correctly. According to a report derived from multiple sources and featured in a recent Forbes article, many industries, including consumer package goods and medical device manufacturers, have seen a sluggish pace of growth since the dawn of the new millennium.

This comes up in an article in which writer Lora Cecere describes the problems that businesses have to deal with in their use of supply chains, as well as the use of inventory management software to make these processes stick. Even though she alleges that "more than 80 percent" of companies are using these networks, she also claims that a lot of these networks are not being used to their full potential.

"One of the reasons that corporate performance is failing is that the supply chain has become a function," she writes. "In a functional organization, the definition of a supply chain as yet another function becomes a problem, not a part of the solution."

This means that companies need to start matching the different "links" in this chain so that they sync up to each other and give companies the chance to work alongside skilled consultants to do so.

Using your supply chain in the best way possible might mean reconsidering it altogether, and the fresh look that an outside provider could help you jar your thinking and look at the cold, hard information that can come out of your business.