Lost and Found

It was a sunny, autumn day, perfect driving weather to soak up the picturesque country scenery of Concord, Massachusetts, the locale of this month's cover story with Welch's. Nearing the final destination a bit early, I felt confident that there would be plenty of time to discuss the ambitious business integration project underway at the company. Alas, in typical MapQuest fashion, my directions soon led me astray and I found myself circling the same area, over and over again, wondering how I could get lost so close to where I wanted to be. Thankfully, CGT's art director extraordinaire, Trinidad Pena, was traveling with me. She suggested I utilize the "Never Lost" navigation system that came with the rental car. Being the American male that I am, I naturally balked at the idea of referring to a silly machine for directions. Trinidad, however, quickly powered up NeverLost, punched in a few keys, and guided us to our destination on time. Needless to say, I was quickly enamored with NeverLost and played with the thing the entire ride home.

Most of the time, it takes a bit of external motivation in order to find the inspiration to try something new, especially in the world of information technology (IT). Take Welch's for instance. The company was this close to custom-tailoring a home grown system to synch up its entire business process, when a chance meeting with a tech vendor soon got them excited about the possibilities of a truly integrated, end-to-end solution. The rest of Welch's fascinating story is continued on page 12. Also on tap this issue is a complete wrap-up of the sixth annual Consumer Goods Technology Awards. From Supply Chain Performance to Breakthrough SMB, each winner and outstanding achievement recipient is recognized in all of its IT glory. Awards overage begins on page 18. Is there someone we didn't recognize with an award this year but should have? Feel free to let me know at: [email protected] with your suggestions.