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.
Author: Prof.Nansi
Source: http://www.projectsmonitor.com/detailnews.asp?newsid=6968
