While good software and data are necessities for effective supply chain planning, the right processes, policies, and organization are the most powerful keys for reducing costs and providing high service. This book reviews the state-of-the-art in production and distribution planning and presents principles and methods through which enterprises, including virtual enterprises, can design the best way to plan their operations. Supply chain and virtual enterprise oriented, the book covers collaborative planning, lean philosophy, and newer techniques like ant algorithms. If you are looking for insight into how to improve operations through better planning, this book is the place to find it.