Logistics

Abstract

The term logistics can be used to describe the planning, execution, design and control of all material and information flows between a company and its suppliers, all in-house flows, and the flows between a company and its customers. Put simply, logistics ensures that the right quantity of the right goods, with the right level of quality, arrive at the right location at the right time- and at the lowest possible cost. Logistics not only covers the control of transport, transshipment and warehousing processes, but also services such as customised packaging, assembly, data storage and information management that provide value added to the logistics process. As outsourcing is becoming increasingly common in certain sectors, the use of value-added chains is growing all over the world. The supply chain has therefore developed into an extremely complex delivery network requiring a high level of transparency, planning, tracking and control. © 2009 Springer Berlin Heidelberg.