Logistics cost savings lurk in hidden supply chain.

BYLINE: William Hoffman

Most retailers have two supply chains. There is the visible one that snakes from manufacturers to ports and across transportation nodes to distribution centers and stores. Then there is the hidden supply chain that makes the visible one possible. According to one inventory management expert, it's also a part of the supply chain that may be rich with cost savings.

"The hidden supply chain is really the non-salable items of people, information and subsequent processes that support your retail locations, your operation and your financial services," said Karen Galena, vice president of supply-chain solutions, retail, at NAL Worldwide, an inventory technology consulting firm.

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