Reuben Slone, Executive Vice President of Supply Chain for OfficeMax, has co-authored a book with J. Paul Dittmann and John Mentzer on the importance of "supply chain excellence." The book, The New Supply Chain Agenda: The 5 Steps that Drive Real Value, published by the Harvard Business Press, outlines the five key "pillars" of a successful supply chain strategy. Slone, Dittman and Mentzer based the book on their extensive field experience and ongoing analysis of hundreds of firms; the authors maintain supply chain excellence is the most underutilized competitive advantage in organizations today.

The New Supply Chain Agenda has been extremely well-received by not only supply chain professionals, but also by C-level executives. After reading an advance copy of the book, the former chairman and CEO of UPS declared, "In this work, Slone, Dittmann and Mentzer capture the fundamental principles for business success that can apply to any industry. They cite the need for companies to establish world-class supply chains, which, if executed properly, yield higher revenue by producing flawless delivery, reduce capital requirements through lower inventories and streamlined networks, reduce cost with more efficient operations and delight customers by creating unique solutions. This book offers a universal business strategy, a roadmap that companies would do well to follow."

For a glimpse of what this book offers, we encourage you to read the preview article "Supply Chain Risk: It’s Time to Measure It" on the Harvard Business Review website.

As the EVP of supply chain for OfficeMax, Slone is responsible for inventory management, supply chain operations, real estate, and store development. He also acts as the executive sponsor of the OfficeMax/Corporate United relationship. "It’s a privilege to have such a widely-recognized procurement thought leader as one of our members," says Marc Rosen, president of Corporate United. "Reuben’s book is a testament to the knowledge and expertise resident within the Corporate United membership."

Slone is among three procurement leaders who will sit on the CPO panel and Q&A session at SYNERGY 2010. He and two other panelists will be present to provide insight into the thought process of procurement leadership for the benefit of SYNERGY attendees.

The New Supply Chain Agenda will be released May 11, but can be pre-ordered now at www.hbr.org, www.amazon.com or www.barnesandnoble.com.