But something else happened that was unforeseen: a realization within the company that its maturing "brown operations, " marvelous as they were in delivering 13 million packages every business day, were not enough to compete in an industry that was transitioning into a global, knowledge-based logistics business.

FORBES: Logistics in Brown

Consumer goods and logistics companies could significantly help ORS manufacturers with improving their datasets, sharing knowledge of best practices, and even potentially sharing distribution infrastructure.

FORBES: How private distribution companies can help reduce diarrheal disease