RALEIGH, NC, February 10, 2011 – In these uncertain times, use of key supply chain metrics, such as "perfect order," are on the rise, according to the Tompkins Supply Chain Consortium's recent report, Supply Chain Core Benchmarks: Understanding Key Metrics.

"Now is the time for companies to benchmark key metrics and get back on track to profitable growth," says Bruce Tompkins, Executive Director of the Tompkins Supply Chain Consortium and author of the report. "With increasing cost trends, companies can employ benchmarking and best practices to improve processes and reduce costs – leading to profitable growth – as they learn to deal with uncertainty."

Results from the survey show that some companies are focused on significantly reducing transportation cost and improving customer service by increasing the number of distribution operations. At the same time, other companies are developing better strategies to strengthen DC productivity.

In general, the report reveals that DC cost as a percentage of revenue is trending downward, compared to the previous year, indicating that improvement activities directed at cost reduction in the supply chain have been effective.