Introduction to International Transportation and Logistics

Abstract

Logistics is the management of the flow of goods, information, and resources between the point of origin and the point of consumption. It is a business concept that evolved during the 1950s due to the increasing complexity of supplying businesses with materials and transporting products in an increasingly globalized supply chain. The complexity led to a call for experts in the process called logisticians. Work in logistics involves the integration of information, transportation, inventory, warehousing, material handling, packaging, human resources, and sometimes security. The goal is to manage the life cycle of a project from birth to completion. The main functions of a qualified logistician include inventory management, purchasing, transportation, warehousing, consultation, and organizing and planning of these activities. Logisticians combine a professional knowledge of each of these functions to coordinate resources in an organization.