Logistics Infrastructure

Introduction
Infrastructure:
Infrastructure refers to the fundamental facilities and systems serving a
country, city, or area, including the services and facilities necessary for
its economy to function.
It typically characterises technical structures such as
roads, ports, rails, pipelines
bridges, canals, parks, public places
tunnels, water supply,
sanitation, drainages, sewage,
electrical grids, telecommunications and so forth.
It can be defined as the physical components of interrelated systems
providing commodities and services essential to enable, sustain, or enhance
societal living conditions.
Hard infrastructure refers to the large physical networks necessary for the
functioning of a modern industrial nation.
Soft infrastructure refers to all the institutions which are required to maintain
the economic, health, and cultural and social standards of a country, such as
the financial system, the education system, the healthcare system, the system
of government, and law enforcement, as well as emergency services.
Urban or municipal infrastructure refers to hard infrastructure systems
generally owned and operated by municipalities, such as streets, water
distribution, and sewers.
The term critical infrastructure has been widely adopted to distinguish those
infrastructure elements that, if significantly damaged or destroyed, would
cause serious disruption of the dependent system or organization.

Storm, flood, or earthquake damages leading to loss of certain transportation

routes in a city, for example bridges across a river, could make it impossible for
people to evacuate, and for emergency services to operate; These routes
would be deemed critical infrastructure.
Similarly, an on-line booking system might be critical infrastructure for
an airline.
These elements of infrastructure are often the focus of recovery efforts in the
aftermath of natural disasters.
Damage to critical infrastructure could also result in a public safety hazard.
Green infrastructure is a concept that highlights the importance of the natural
environment in decisions about land use planning, and environmental
protection.
In particular there is an emphasis on the "life support" functions provided by a
network of natural ecosystems, with an emphasis on interconnectivity to
support long-term sustainability.
Examples include clean water and healthy soils, as well as functions such as
recreation and providing shade and shelter in and around towns and cities.
The concept can be extended to apply to the management of storm water
/rain water runoff at the local level through the use of natural systems, or
engineered systems to treat polluted runoff.
In other applications, the term infrastructure may refer to information
technology, informal and formal channels of communication, software
development tools . Examples include:
IT infrastructure,
research infrastructure,
tourism infrastructure.
The lack of infra in many developing countries represents one of the most
significant limitations to economic growth.

Infrastructure investments and maintenance can be very expensive.Increased

investment is necessary to maintain growth and tackle poverty and provide
services to human society.

LOGISTICS:
The process of planning, implementing, and controlling the efficient, cost
effective flow and storage of raw materials, in-process inventory, finished
goods and service and related information from point of origin to point of
consumption for the purpose of conforming to customers requirements.
Dabbawala Story

Indian Postal Service - India Post

A supply chain consists of all entities involved, directly or indirectly, in fulfilling
a customer request.
Supply Chain includes manufacturers, suppliers,
suppliers supplier, transporters, warehouses,
retailers,
and
customers/consumers.
Supply chain management encompasses the planning and management of all
activities involved in sourcing and procurement, conversion, and all associated
logistics activities.
Transportation is the creation of place and time utility.
When goods are moved to places where they have higher value than they had
at the places from where they originated, they have place utility.
Time utility means that this service occurs at the time when it is needed.
Time and place utility are provided when goods/services/people are moved to
places where they want to be made available and at the demanded time.
Logistics is that part of supply chain management that plans and implements
efficient, effective forward and reverse flow and storage of goods, services
between the point of origin and point of consumption.

Objectives of Logistics:
Reduction of Inventory
Economy of freight mode, consolidation, route planning
Reliability and consistency in delivery performance
Minimum damage to products proper packing, too frequent handling,
storage conditions
Quicker and faster response
The role of logistics management in cities has changed dramatically since the
1950s.
Logistics management is crucial to industries that want to remain competitive
in a quickly evolving globalized planet, but optimization can be a challenge
when industries tend to fall back on their existing distribution and production
processes.
Cities have taken initiatives, primarily out of necessity, to deliver the required
infrastructure to accommodate the demands of a globalized economy.
Innovation in the export / import logistics service chain is attempting to make
the process more reliable, cost effective and time saving.
Since ancient times, ports have been the hubs of economic prosperity and
growth and the focal points of urbanization.
They remain so today and have grown astronomically in response to the need
to interconnect, to integrate as a vessel of world trade.
At least ninety percent of the worlds goods are transported by ship and this
mode of transportation has seen dramatic increases in the last two decades.
Ports are reacting to this increased demand for their facilities.
Air freight logistics has grown to be one of the most efficient, flexible and
secure means of transportation during the past century.
Airplanes and airports operate as separate entities requiring separate
preparation in allowing completion of LOGISTICS functions. As essential

facilities connecting cities worldwide, airports help in growing urban

economies.
Airports play an integral role in providing on-demand access, around the clock,
for the distribution of often high value, time sensitive goods.
Transport, infrastructure and logistics is by nature a multi- and interdisciplinary
field. Investments made toward sustainable infrastructure and associated
logistics systems enable a continued high quality of life while positioning
cities to remain globally competitive into the next century.
Logistics infrastructure is a critical enabler of India's agenda for economic
development and urbanization. Recognizing its pivotal role, the Indian
government have tripled annual spending on logistics infrastructure.
Definition of business logistics: "having the right item in the right quantity at
the right time at the right place for the right price in the right condition to the
right customer.
Business logistics incorporates all industry sectors and aims to manage the
fruition of project life cycles, supply chains, and resultant efficiencies.
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