Apple's supply chain still on top of the pile

Not only does Apple's stock shine, so does its supply chain.

The Cupertino, California-based consumer electronics company that produces the ubiquitous Macintosh computers, iPhones, iPads, and iPods ranked number one on AMR Research's 2010 list of the top 25 supply chains. This was the third consecutive year Apple earned that designation. AMR said that Apple maintains its dominance because it consistently brings operational and innovation excellence to competitive markets.

In its sixth annual report on supply chain leaders, the Boston, Massachusetts-based research firm (now part of the Gartner Group) ranked companies for excellence based on execution metrics such as return on assets, revenue growth, and inventory turns. The research firm maintains that companies on its list of supply chain leaders have seen a positive impact on their stock performance.

Procter & Gamble, which came in second, is the only company that has been in the top 10 every year that AMR has conducted its assessment.

Here are the research firm's picks for the top 10:

1. Apple
2. Procter & Gamble
3. Cisco Systems
4. Wal-Mart Stores
5. Dell
6. PepsiCo
7. Samsung
8. IBM
9. Research In Motion
10. Amazon.com