LOGISTICS & SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT

Logistics has a military origin and uses to be associated with the movement of troops and their supplies in the battlefield. But like so many other technologies and terminologies, it entered the business lexicon gradually and has now become synonymous with the set of activities ranging from procurement of raw materials to the delivery of the final polished good to the end consumer. In a typical business scenario, many organizations work in tandem (knowingly or unknowingly) to get the final product in hand of the end consumer. The supply chain is a network of these organizations that coalesce with each other (downstream or upstream) to make the final shipment successful. Manufacturing plants, warehouses, stores etc. are all facilities which form key components in the network design. Transportation: the cost and consistency (reliability) required out of the transportation network determines the type and mode of the movement of goods and also affects the inventory.