Logistics

Logistics is the art and science of managing and controlling the flow of goods, energy, information and other resources.

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The term logistics has evolved from the military's need of spare-parts supply, but is now widely accepted to include activities like purchasing, transport, warehousing, organizing and planning of these activities. Logistics managers need general knowledge of each of these functions, and specific knowledge of the industry, commodity, or business protocols governing the product types being managed.

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In business, logistics may have either internal focus, or external focus covering the flow from originating supplier to end-user, see supply chain management.

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In military logistics, experts manage how and when to move resources to the places they are needed. In military science, maintaining one's supply lines while disrupting those of the enemy is a crucial, and some would say the most crucial element, of military strategy (since an armed force without food/fuel and ammunition is useless).

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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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Purchasing: Purchasing refers to a business or organization attempting to acquire goods or services to accomplish the goals of the enterprise. Though there are several organizations that attempt to set standards in the purchasing process, processes can vary greatly between organizations. Typically the word ?pur...

Transport: :For other article subjects named transport, see Transport (disambiguation)....

Warehousing: REDIRECT Warehouse...