c
 is the management of the flow of goods and services between the point of origin and

the point of consumption in order to meet the requirements of customers. Logistics involves the
integration of information, transportation, inventory, warehousing, material handling, and
packaging, and often security. Logistics is a channel of the supply chain which adds the value of
time and place utility. Today the complexity of production logistics can be modeled, analyzed,
visualized and optimized by plant simulation software.

 
[hide]

i? 3 Origins and definition

i? a Military logistics
i?  Business logistics
‘? .3 Production logistics
‘? .a Logistics management
‘? . Warehouse management systems and warehouse control systems
i?  Logistics outsourcing
‘? .3 Third-party logistics
‘? .a Fourth-party logistics
i? G Emergency logistics
i? u As a profession
i? £ See also
i? Ñ References

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The term a
 comes from the Greek a
 (ȜȩȖȠȢ), meaning "speech, reason, ratio,
rationality, language, phrase", and more specifically from the Greek word a
 (ȜȠȖȚıIJȚțȒ),
meaning accounting and financial organization[  


]. The word a
 has its origin in
the French verb a

 to lodge or to quarter. Its original use was to describe the science of
movement, supplying & maintenance of military forces in the field. Later on it was used to
describe the management of materials flow through an organization, from raw materials through
to finished goods[  


].

Logistics is considered to have originated in the military's need to supply themselves with arms,
ammunition and rations as they moved from their base to a forward position. In ancient Greek,
Roman and Byzantine empires, military officers with the title
 were responsible for
financial and supply distribution matters[  


].

The   
a   defines logistics as "the branch of military science relating to
procuring, maintaining and transporting materiel, personnel and facilities." Another dictionary
definition is "the time-related positioning of resources." As such, logistics is commonly seen as a
branch of engineering that creates "people systems" rather than "machine systems". When
talking in terms of human resources management, logistics means giving inputs, i.e. "recruiting
manpowers", which ultimately work for the final consumer or to delivery.

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In military science, maintaining one's supply lines while disrupting those of the enemy is a
crucial²some would say the most crucial²element of military strategy, since an armed force
without resources and transportation is defenseless. The defeat of the British in the American
War of Independence and the defeat of the Axis in the African theatre of World War II are
attributed to logistical failure.[  


] The historical leaders Hannibal Barca, Alexander the
Great, and the Duke of Wellington are considered to have been logistical geniuses.

Militaries have a significant need for logistics solutions, and so have developed advanced
implementations. Integrated Logistics Support (ILS) is a discipline used in military industries to
ensure an easily supportable system with a robust customer service (logistic) concept at the
lowest cost and in line with (often high) reliability, availability, maintainability and other
requirements as defined for the project.

In military logistics, logistics officers manage how and when to move resources to the places
they are needed.

Supply chain management in military logistics often deals with a number of variables in
predicting cost, deterioration, consumption, and future demand. The US Military's categorical
supply classification was developed in such a way that categories of supply with similar
consumption variables are grouped together for planning purposes. For instance, peacetime
consumption of ammunition and fuel will be considerably less than wartime consumption of
these items, whereas other classes of supply such as subsistence and clothing have a relatively
consistent consumption rate regardless of war or peace. Troops will always require uniform and
food. More troops will require equally more uniforms and food.

Some classes of supply have a linear demand relationship²as more troops are added more
supply items are needed²as more equipment is used more fuel and ammunition is consumed.
Other classes of supply must consider a third variable besides usage and quantity: time. As
equipment ages more and more repair parts are needed over time, even when usage and quantity
stays consistent. By recording and analyzing these trends over time and applying to future
scenarios, the US Military can accurately supply troops with the items necessary at the precise
moment they are needed.[3] History has shown that good logistical planning creates a lean and
efficient fighting force. Lack thereof can lead to a clunky, slow, and ill-equipped force with too
much or too little supply.

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Logistics as a business concept evolved in the 3 G
s due to the increasing complexity of
supplying businesses with materials and shipping out products in an increasingly globalized
supply chain, leading to a call for experts called supply chain logisticians. Business logistics can
be defined as "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", and is the science of process and
incorporates all industry sectors. The goal of logistics work is to manage the fruition of project
life cycles, supply chains and resultant efficiencies.

In business, logistics may have either internal focus (inbound logistics), or external focus
(outbound logistics) covering the flow and storage of materials from point of origin to point of
consumption (see supply chain management). The main functions of a qualified logistician
include inventory management, purchasing, transportation, warehousing, consultation and the
organizing and planning of these activities. Logisticians combine a professional knowledge of
each of these functions to coordinate resources in an organization. There are two fundamentally
different forms of logistics: one optimizes a steady flow of material through a network of
transport links and storage nodes; the other coordinates a sequence of resources to carry out
some project.

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The term 2   a
 is used to describe logistic processes within an industry. The
purpose of production logistics is to ensure that each machine and workstation is being fed with
the right product in the right quantity and quality at the right time. The concern is not the
transportation itself, but to streamline and control the flow through value-adding processes and
eliminate non±value-adding ones. Production logistics can be applied to existing as well as new
plants. Manufacturing in an existing plant is a constantly changing process. Machines are
exchanged and new ones added, which gives the opportunity to improve the production logistics
system accordingly. Production logistics provides the means to achieve customer response and
capital efficiency.

Production logistics is becoming more important with decreasing batch sizes. In many industries
(e.g. mobile phones), a batch size of one is the short-term aim, allowing even a single customer's
demand to be fulfilled efficiently. Track and tracing, which is an essential part of production
logistics²due to product safety and product reliability issues²is also gaining importance,
especially in the automotive and medical industries.

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 x




Logistics is that part of the supply chain which 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 in order to meet customer and legal
requirements. A professional working in the field of logistics management is called a a
.

Logistics management is known by many names, the most common are as follows:
 i? Materials Management
i? jhannel Management
i? Distribution (or Physical Distribution)
i? Business or Logistics Management or
i? Supply jhain Management

The jhartered Institute of Logistics & Transport (jILT) was established in the United Kingdom
in 3 3 and was granted a Royal jharter in 3 au. The jhartered Institute is one of the
professional bodies or institutions, for the logistics and transport sectors, that offers professional
qualifications or degrees in logistics management.

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Although there is some functionality overlap, the differences between warehouse management
systems (WMS) and warehouse control systems (WjS) can be significant. Simply put, a WMS
plans a weekly activity forecast based on such factors as statistics and trends, whereas a WjS
acts like a floor supervisor, working in real time to get the job done by the most effective means.
For instance, a WMS can tell the system it is going to need five of stock-keeping unit (SKU) A
and five of SKU B hours in advance, but by the time it acts, other considerations may have come
into play or there could be a logjam on a conveyor. A WjS can prevent that problem by working
in real time and adapting to the situation by making a last-minute decision based on current
activity and operational status. Working synergistically, WMS and WjS can resolve these issues
and maximize efficiency for companies that rely on the effective operation of their warehouse or
distribution center.[a]

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Third-party logistics (PL) involves using external organizations to execute logistics activities
that have traditionally been performed within an organization itself.[] According to this
definition, third-party logistics includes any form of outsourcing of logistics activities previously
performed in-house. If, for example, a company with its own warehousing facilities decides to
employ external transportation, this would be an example of third-party logistics. Logistics is an
emerging business area in many countries.

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The concept of Fourth-Party Logistics (PL) provider was first defined by Andersen jonsulting
(Now Accenture) as an integrator that assembles the resources, capabilities and technology of its
own organization and other organizations to design, build, and run comprehensive supply chain
solutions. Whereas a third party logistics (PL) service provider targets a function, a PL targets
management of the entire process. Some have described a PL as a general contractor who
manages other PLs, truckers, forwarders, custom house agents, and others, essentially taking
responsibility of a complete process for the customer.

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Emergency logistics is a term used by the logistics, supply chain and manufacturing industries to
denote specific time critical modes of transport used to move goods or objects rapidly in the
event of an emergency.[  


] The reason for enlisting emergency logistics services could be
a production delay or anticipated production delay, or it could be that specialist equipment is
needed urgently to prevent instances such as aircraft being grounded (also known as "aircraft on
ground"--AOG), ships being delayed, or telecommunications failure. Emergency logistics
services are typically sourced from a specialist provider.[  

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A 
 is a professional logistics practitioner. Professional logisticians are often certified
by professional associations. Some universities and academic institutions train students as
logisticians, offering undergraduate and postgraduate programs