According to Aberdeen's chief supply chain officer survey conducted in January 2011 which surveyed 191 companies, the top two pressures dominating current supply chain operations include increased complexity and globalization (52%), and rising supply chain costs (46%) including fuel and labor. Undoubtedly, the increase in the number of trading partners is changing the nature of the dynamics between all parties in the multi-tiered global supply chain. In response to these pressures there is a growing shift in focus towards internal collaboration (cited by 70%) and external collaboration (42%) with suppliers and trading partners. This Analyst Insight will focus on some key process and technology differentiators displayed in improving supplier/partner/service product flow across an increasingly more complex, multi-tier, and cross-channel distribution network. We will showcase the advantages that one large oil and gas company was able to achieve by partnering with a solutions provider, ASCI, to build out an integrated platform.