What is logistics?

A widespread idea prevails that logistics is 'movement of goods'. That is a narrow

concept. Logistics is much more and much wider than mere physical handling of
goods. Logistics involves several other functions such as purchasing, plant
location, plant layout, etc., and even the disposal of wastes. It covers
astonishingly varied professional disciplines. They are:
* Facility location
* Planning
* Forecasting and order management
* Transportation: the mode and the route
* Inventory management: all inventories
* Warehousing
I Protective packaging
I Information: maintenance and flow

Definitions
Many definitions are given for 'logistics'. Here are some: "Logistics is…
* strategically managing the procurement and movement of goods and storage of
inventory in all forms."
* the process of strategically managing the procurement, movement and storage
of materials, parts and finished inventory (and the related information flows)
through the organisation and its marketing channels in such a way that current
and future profitability are maximised through the cost-effective fulfillment of
orders"
* the study and management of goods and service flows and the associated
information that set these in motion."
These definitions give the idea of the wide range of functions that logistics
covers. A simple definition is: "Logistics is the delivery of the required goods, at
required place, at required time, in required state and to the required person…
efficiently."

Importance
Logistics is the one important function in business today. No marketing,
manufacturing or project execution can succeed without logistics support. For
companies, 10 per cent to 35 per cent of gross sales are logistics cost,
depending on business, geography and weight/value ratio.
Logistics is comparatively a new term, but not the operation. Logistics has
existed since the beginning of civilisation. Raw material and finished products
had always to be moved, though on a small scale. Things began changing with
the advance in transportation. Population began moving from rural to urban
areas and to business centres. No longer did people live near production
centres, nor did production take place near residence centres. The geographical
distance between the production point and consumption point increased. And
logistics gained importance.
Another factor has come into play recently. Since the early 1990's, the business
scene has changed. The globalization, the free market and the competition has
required that the customer gets the right material, at the right time, at the right
point and in the right condition… at the lowest cost.

Gulf War
You will get some idea of what logistics is, from the fact that, in the 1991 Gulf
War, the US and allies airlifted half a million people and over half a million tonnes
of materials over 12,000 km and moved additional 2.3 million tonnes of
equipment by sea, in a short time frame. That kind of movement is more than
physical handling. That is logistics.
Wars have been won and lost through logistics capability or lack of it. Generals
have understood the importance of logistics since early days, but the business
has learnt it fairly recently. And the logistics capability gives an edge to the
business.

'RevLog'
Another dimension to logistics is 'Reverse Logistics' (RevLog). Goods return from
the consumer point to the original supply point, for various reasons. Bad delivery,
over-supply, damage, expiry, failing inspection tests at the customer point, goods
unsold etc., are some instances where the material traverses back. That is
Reverse Logistics. The material that has to come back to the original point, or to
the original supplier, has also to be handled effectively and efficiently. Maintain a
'RevLog system'. That will give you more edge.

The future
What will be logistics for future? This can be discussed at length, but, looking at
the trends today, four pillars can be recommended:
1. Train, develop and maintain a team of logistics experts in your company.
Make this team a part of strategy developers.
2. Develop and make your suppliers, of materials and services, aware to work
and respond as a link in your logistics, including 'RevLog'
3. Make your logistics as an IT-based operation. Remember that information flow
is the crux of efficient and effective logistics.
4. Have a goal of your logistics as customer satisfaction rather than meeting
marketing men's targets, fulfilling demands etc.
Understanding & Handling of logistics

1) identify the goods to be moved or handled

2) identify any hazards in moving or handling the
goods, and take the appropriate action to minimise
any risks
3) use suitable methods to handle the goods correctly
and safely
4) position and set down the goods correctly in the
desired location
5) place the goods so that they can be identified and
accessed easily
6) identify any problems with the goods at any stage,
and take the appropriate action to deal with them
7) record work according to organisational procedures
8) comply with the organisation’s procedures and all
relevant legal, safety and operating requirements
relating to the movement or handling of good

Handling
a) the types of goods being handled or moved
b) types of workplace hazards that may be
encountered, and how to deal with them
c) ways of safely moving or handling different types of
goods
d) when to ask for help in handling goods, and who to
ask
e) locations of different types of goods
f) how to place goods so that they can be easily
identified and accessed
g) procedures for dealing with loss or damage to goods
h) roles and responsibilities of different colleagues
i) the relevant legal, safety and operating
requirements relating to the movement or handling
of good
Dispatching & Logistics
Dispatching involves sending out of cars, trucks, individuals, jets, planes, boats, while having them do a
specific task while away from a centralized location. A centralized location is often referred to as "base", but
this location could also be a tower, a port, a house, office, or other business. Dispatching can involve many
situations and scenarios as far as picking items up from a list of donors, dropping things off to customers,
escorting persons or property from one location to another, etc.

What we first need to know is what our purpose is. Is it research, is it picking up items, or delivering
something specific. After that is known, the next question that comes up is how we get there. It's one thing to
send out fleets with a specific purpose, but the logistics end is where we're sending them to.

Geo-coding is the processes of using satelite images, maps, and other resources to gain a latitude and
longitude point for a specific destination. With our portal systems, we've come up with ways to get this
information, processes it, prioritize it, and get our assets out, and returned in a time specific equation.

By placing dispatching and logistics together, we gain a new computer process to where our computers will
plan our routes with multiple destinations. We use some of the best resources on-line to locate and plan out
routes. By using Google Maps and implementing some of those features into our software, we can offer you
a custom solution to suite your individual needs. By looking at maps day, after day, after day, we gain a
better perspective on how we order their stops to save on gas and tolls.

We have created many solutions that you or your business field would apply to and benefit from. Our source
code is open source, and more being added and edited daily. The way our business makes money is in
providing support for such products and services we offer. We offer many products and services all relating
to dispatching and logistics. You can have us host your software application specific to your needs for a
small fee based on how many users you will have accessing information, and how much information is
actually being processed. For more information, see our hosting section for more information on having us
host your application, or services for checking out our total setup and support on your own servers.