An Overview of Logistics

Eve Shelly^*
*Correspondence: Eve Shelly, Department of Finance and Accounting, University of Sfax, Tunisia, Email:

Editorial

In general, logistics refers to the comprehensive organisation and execution of a complex task. In general, logistics is the management of the flow of goods between the place of origin and the site of consumption in order to suit the needs of customers or companies. Logistics resources can include tangible things like materials, equipment, and supplies, as well as food and other consumable products. Logistics in military science is concerned with maintaining army supply lines while damaging enemy supply lines, because an armed force without resources and transportation is helpless. Military logistics was already conducted in antiquity, and because the modern military has a considerable demand for logistics solutions, advanced implementations have been developed [1]. Logistics officers oversee how and when resources are sent to where they are needed in the military. Logistics management is a branch of supply chain management and supply chain engineering that plans, implements, and controls the efficient, effective forward and reverse flow and storage of goods, services, and related information between the point of origin and the point of consumption to meet the needs of customers.

Logistics complexity can be modelled, examined, visualised, and optimised using specialised simulation tools. The desire to use resources as little as possible is a prevalent goal in all logistical sectors. A logistician is a professional who works in the field of logistics management [2]. The Oxford English Dictionary describes logistics as "the part of military science concerned with the acquisition, maintenance, and transportation of material, troops, and infrastructure." The New Oxford American Dictionary, on the other hand, defines logistics as "the precise coordination of a complicated activity involving many people, facilities, or supplies," while the Oxford Dictionary on-line defines it as "the detailed organisation and implementation of a complex operation." As a result, logistics is frequently regarded as a branch of engineering that develops "human systems" rather than "machine systems." Logistics, as defined by the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (previously the Council of Logistics Management), is the process of planning, implementing, and controlling procedures for the efficient and effective transportation and storage of goods, including services and related information, from the point of origin to the point of consumption for the purpose of conforming to customer requirements. It includes inbound, outbound, internal, and external movement. Academics and practitioners have traditionally used the terms operations or production management to refer to physical transformations occurring in a single business location (factory, restaurant, or even bank clerking) and reserve the term logistics for activities related to distribution, i.e. moving products across the territory [3].

Managing a distribution centre is thus seen as belonging to the realm of logistics because, while the products made by a factory are ready for consumption in theory, they still need to be moved along the distribution network according to some logic, and the distribution centre aggregates and processes orders coming from various areas of the territory. However, there are modelling similarities between operations management and logistics [4], and firms sometimes deploy hybrid professionals, such as a "Director of Operations" or a "Logistics Officer" working on similar problems. Furthermore, the phrase "supply chain management" initially refers to having an integrated picture of both manufacturing and logistics from point of origin to point of production, among other things. As a result of advertising, all of these phrases may undergo semantic alteration. Inbound logistics is one of the key logistics operations that focus on procuring and organising the inbound transportation of materials, parts, or unfinished inventory from suppliers to manufacturing or assembly plants, warehouses, or retail outlets. Market research, requirements planning, make-or-buy decisions [5], supplier management, ordering, and order managing are all part of procurement logistics. The goals of procurement logistics may be contradictory: maximise efficiency by focusing on core competencies, outsource while keeping firm autonomy, or minimise procurement expenses while maximising supply chain security.

Conflict of Interest

None.

References

1. McGinnis, Michael A. "Military logistics: Insights for business logistics." Int J Phys Distrib Logist Manag (1992).

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2. Lambert, Douglas, James R. Stock, and Lisa M. Ellram. Fundamentals of logistics management. McGraw-Hill/Irwin (1998).

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3. Waters, Donald. Logistics an introduction to supply chain management. Palgrave macmillan (2021).

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4. Baziotopoulos, Leonidas. "An Investigation of logistics outsourcing practices in the Greek manufacturing sector." Greece (2008).

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5. Zacharia, Zach G., Nada R. Sanders, and Nancy W. Nix. "The emerging role of the third‐party logistics provider (3PL) as an orchestrator." J Bus Logist 1 (2011): 40-54.

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