Rather than taking the focus away from the plant floor, supply chain management actually increases the criticality of optimized production processes. Streamlined, low-inventory production is less tolerant of disruptions, and for supply chain management to be successful there must exist the kind of “transparency” that allows order takers and managers insight into plant-floor conditions. Transparency is a prerequisite for flexibility in promising delivery dates and scheduling production. Primary elements of plant operations software supervisory control, manufacturing execution systems, and plant portals