So what exactly is logistics anyway? The Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) has defined logistics as “the management of inventory, at rest or in motion.” Logistics plays a major role in the U.S. economy. It can include inventory, information, transportation, warehousing, material handling, and packaging. A supply chain is a system of organizations, people, technology, activities, and information that is used to move products and services from the supplier to the customer.
Inbound and Outbound
There are two categories of logistics, inbound and outbound. The inbound variety includes the purchasing and arranging inbound movement of materials, parts, and inventory from the supplier to the stores. Outbound concerns the storage and movement of the product.
Procurement
There are four areas of logistics. Charlotte NC companies can take advantage of these areas which include procurement, production, and distribution and disposal. Procurement can include market research, planning, make or buy decisions, ordering, supplier management and order control. The main purpose is to maximize the efficiency by concentrating on core competency for outsourcing.
Product
Product logistics uses available production capacities such as layout planning, production planning, and control to produce the products needed in the distributing process. Distribution logistics consists of order processing, warehousing, and transportation in order to deliver the finished products to the customers in a timely matter. Lastly, disposal logistics helps to reduce costs and improves services to save natural resources.
Management
Logistics management is the part of the supply chain that plans, implements, and controls the efficient effect of the forward flow of goods and services. This management system produces an efficient method to help in planning, production, and distributing. This is the business side of the supply chain management and is used to maintain an effective method of moving goods and materials. Companies that are able to efficiently move products without many delays provide the best evidence of proper use of logistics.
Charlotte NC is located centrally on the East Coast. This provides an excellent transportation network for business. Because of the effective use of logistics services and support, Charlotte provides a top-of-the-line connection for moving products and materials efficiently throughout the world.
