INTRODUCTION
Many companies are struggling with the question of how e-business impacts the supply network. It can eliminate some intermediaries
(such as the wholesalers or retailers), but it also fosters the emergence of new players like logisticians, whose role is to adapt
traditional logistics chains to take into account the requirements of e-business. Managing the flow of information has become as vital
as managing the flow of material (Demkes, 2000) and the Internet has made it possible to connect all of those working within a single
supply network. There are new technologies available for optimizing the supply network and most concepts for improving supply
network efficiency are based on sharing information throughout the supply network in order to improve transparency and agility.