SCOTTSDALE, Arizona, May 28 /PRNewswire/ --

- Apple, Dell, PG, IBM, and Cisco Systems Top the List

AMR Research, the leading research firm focused on the global supply chain and supporting technologies, released its Supply Chain Top 25 today, an annual ranking that highlights companies that display superior supply chain performance, capabilities, and leadership.

Since 1986, AMR Research has studied and fostered the revolution in supply chain as a professional discipline and as a competitive weapon for companies in the post-industrial economy. The governing principle of this emerging discipline is something AMR Research calls demand driven, which was coined in 2003 by the company and means global supply chains built to serve customers with both operations and innovation excellence.

The Supply Chain Top 25 identifies those Fortune Global 500 companies that have best demonstrated applying this principle of being demand driven. In up and down markets, the list of the Supply Chain Top 25 companies has repeatedly outperformed the Dow Jones Industrial Average, the SP 500, and NASDAQ. Last year's list beat the markets by 6 to 10 percentage points.

The AMR Research Supply Chain Top 25 for 2009 is: 1. Apple 2. Dell 3. Procter Gamble 4. IBM 5. Cisco Systems 6. Nokia 7. Wal-Mart Stores 8. Samsung Electronics 9. PepsiCo 10. Toyota Motor 11. Schlumberger 12. Johnson Johnson 13. The Coca-Cola Company 14. Nike 15. Tesco 16. Walt Disney 17. Hewlett-Packard 18. Texas Instruments 19. Lockheed Martin 20. Colgate Palmolive 21. Best Buy 22. Unilever 23. Publix Super Markets 24. SonyEricsson 25. Intel

Over the past five years, this report has chronicled the emergence of new ideas like the build-to-order model pioneered by Dell and the emergence of content-based value chains exemplified by Apple and Disney, said Kevin O'Marah, chief strategy officer at AMR Research. While economic uncertainty slowed demand, companies on this year's list used demand driven principles to detect a troubled economy early and secure their cash positions well enough to maintain momentum on vital initiatives. 2010-2011 will show how such foresight pays dividends with greater supply chain agility and the ability to tackle competitors and deliver huge earnings in the climb out.

Please visit www.amrresearch.com for a copy of the 2009 AMR Research Supply Chain Top 25. If you are a member of the media and are interested in learning more about the report, please contact amrresearch@famapr.com.

About AMR Research:

Research and Advice that Matter: AMR Research is the No. 1 research firm focused on the intersection of business processes with value chain and enterprise technologies. Founded in 1986, AMR Research provides subscription advisory services and peer networking opportunities to operations and IT executives in the consumer products, life sciences, manufacturing, and retail sectors. To learn more about our research and services, visit www.amrresearch.com.

Press Contact: Kevin Reilly amrresearch@famapr.com +1-617-758-4153

Kevin Reilly of AMR Research, +1-617-758-4153, amrresearch@famapr.com