Logistics An introduction to supply chain management 1403914478

Logistics

An Introduction to Supply Chain Management

Donald Waters

Logistics

Logistics

An Introduction to Supply

Chain Management

Donald Waters

© Donald Waters 2003 All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this

publication may be made without written permission. No paragraph of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted

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First published 2003 by PALGRAVE MACMILLAN Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS and 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010 Companies and representatives throughout the world

PALGRAVE MACMILLAN is the global academic imprint of the Palgrave Macmillan division of St. Martin’s Press, LLC and of Palgrave Macmillan Ltd. Macmillan® is a registered trademark in the United States, United Kingdom and other countries. Palgrave is a registered trademark in the European Union and other countries.

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A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Waters, C. D. J. (C. Donald J.), 1949–

Logistics : an introduction to supply chain management / Donald Waters. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0–333–96369–5 (paper)

1. Business logistics. 2. Industrial management. I. Title. HD38.5 .W384 2002

658.5—dc21 2002073544

Editing and origination by Aardvark Editorial, Mendham, Suffolk

12 11 10 09 08 07 06 05 04 03 Printed in Great Britain by

Ashford Colour Press Ltd, Gosport

To Dan and Sue

Contents

List of Figures

ix

4 Implementing the Strategy

Preface

xi

Relating Strategy to Lower Decisions

83 Areas for Decisions in Implementation

PART I

Managing Change

95 Discussion Questions

Introduction 103 1

References

1 The Context of Logistics

5 Locating Facilities 104

Introduction 4

Importance of Location 105 Definitions 4 Choosing the Geographic Region

109 The Supply Chain

7 Infinite Set Approaches 113 Activities of Logistics

12 Feasible Set Approaches 119 Aims of Logistics

126 Importance of Logistics

17 Network Models

130 Discussion Questions

19 Location Planning

25 Discussion Questions 136 References

136 Further Reading

26 References

26 Further Reading

2 Integrating the Supply Chain

28 6 Planning Resources 137

Progress in Logistics

138 Current Trends in Logistics

Types of Planning

139 Integrating Logistics Within an

30 Capacity Planning

144 Organisation

Adjusting Capacity

150 Integration Along the Supply Chain

34 Tactical Planning

39 Short-term Schedules 158 Achieving Integration

43 Discussion Questions 165 Discussion Questions

165 References

53 References

54 Further Reading

PART II

7 Controlling Material Flow 166

Planning the Supply Chain 167 57

Material Requirements Planning

Extending the Role of MRP 174

3 Logistics Strategy

59 Principles of Just-in-time 178 Strategic Decisions

60 Achieving Just-in-time Operations 183 Logistics Strategy

62 Extending JIT Along the Supply Chain 189 Strategy Options 66

Discussion Questions 194 Designing a Logistics Strategy

194 Discussion Questions

73 References

195 References

80 Further Reading

CONTENTS

8 Measuring and Improving

11 Warehousing and Material Performance

Handling

Measuring Performance

Purpose of Warehouses 283 Comparing Performance

Activities Within a Warehouse 285 Analysing a Supply Chain

290 Improving Performance

Ownership

292 Discussion Questions

Materials Handling

Packaging 302 Further Reading

Discussion Questions 306

References

PART III

Further Reading

Activities in the Supply Chain 225

12 Transport

Introduction 309

9 Procurement 227

310 Definitions 228 Intermodal Transport

Mode of Transport

319 Choosing Suppliers

Ownership of Transport 321 Procurement Cycle

325 Types of Purchase

Routing Vehicles

Discussion Questions 331 Discussion Questions

331 Further Reading

Further Reading

13 Global Logistics

10 Inventory Management

333 Reasons for Holding Stock

International Trade

Problems with International Logistics 338 Economic Order Quantity

Organising International Operations 342 Uncertain Demand and Safety Stock

Discussion Questions 349 Periodic Review Systems

349 Effort of Stock Control

References

349 Discussion Questions

Further Reading

References

350 Further Reading

Index

List of Figures

1.1 Spectrum of products

5 4.5 Capacity of a supply chain set by the

1.2 Operations creating outputs

5 bottleneck

1.3 Cycle of supply and demand

6 4.6 Summary of logistics at Ralston

1.4 The role of logistics

6 Energy Systems s.r.o.

1.5 Outline of the supply chain for paper

8 4.7 Deming wheel

1.6 Activities in a supply chain

9 4.8 Rate of performance improvement 100

1.7 Supply chain around a manufacturer

5.1 Break-even analysis for location of

1.8 Using intermediaries to simplify the

108 supply chain

Warwick Supplies

5.2 Hierarchy of decisions for locations 109

1.9 Examples of organisational structure

5.3 Alternative choices of location 114

1.10 Influence of logistics on ROA

5.4 Variation in transport cost with

2.1 Summary of logistics activities

35 location

2.2 Three levels of logistics integration

40 5.5 Calculation of centre of gravity 116

2.3 Varying demand

40 5.6 Locations for van Hendrick Industries 117

2.4 Spectrum of relationships

46 5.7 Weakness of the centre of gravity

2.5 Different levels of vertical integration

49 method

5.8 Map for Bannerman Industries 120

3.1 Types of strategic decision

61 5.9 Comparison of sites 121

3.2 Role of logistics managers in strategic

5.10 Variation in transport cost with decisions

63 number of facilities 121

3.3 Different amounts of input from

5.11 Finding the optimal number of logistics managers

63 facilities

3.4 Factors in the design of a logistics

5.12 Map of Ian Bruce’s problem 127 strategy

74 5.13 Spreadsheet of calculations for Ian Bruce

4.1 Levels of decision in logistics

5.14 Road network showing travel time

4.2 Structure of a supply chain

in minutes between locations 129

4.3 Different shapes of supply chain

5.15 Solution to the covering problem 129

4.4 Simplified supply chain for

5.16 Network for Problem 6 135 distributing shoes

LIST OF FIGURES

6.1 An approach to planning logistics

9.1 Relative power of a customer and

6.2 The bottleneck of a supply chain

234 limits the capacity

a supplier

9.2 Outline of steps in a procurement

6.3 Capacity of distribution at J&R

9.3 Some arrangements for delivery 246

6.4 Alternative timing of capacity

10.1 Aggregate stock as a percentage expansion

of GDP for the UK 253

6.5 Alternative size of capacity expansion 145

10.2 Types of stock

6.6 A typical learning curve

10.3 Repeated pattern of stock cycles 259

6.7 Cost of maintenance

10.4 Variation of cost with order size 260

6.8 An iterative approach to planning

10.5 Using a reorder level to time orders 263

6.9 Graphical approach to planning –

10.6 Order patterns when lead time is plotting cumulative demand and longer than stock cycle

263 supply

10.7 The cost curve is shallow around

6.10 Revision of plans during cycles

the economic order quantity 265

6.11 Spreadsheet to help with planning

10.8 Safety stock raises the average in Piotr Hucek

stock level

7.1 Comparison of stock levels

10.9 Alternative approaches to ordering 271

7.2 Part of a bill of materials for a table

10.10 Order placed at A has to cover

7.3 Summary of MRP procedure

demand until B

7.4 A closed-loop MRP system

10.11 Typical results for an ABC analysis 274

7.5 Enterprise resource planning

10.12 Original supply chain for Nalco/

7.6 Stock levels with different types of

11.1 Using warehouses to reduce

7.7 The simplest form of message for JIT 185

transport costs

7.8 A two-card kanban system

11.2 Meeting demand with a mixture

8.1 Capacity and utilisation in a supply of private and public warehouses 291 chain

11.3 Break-even analysis for public/

8.2 Structure of the UK frozen food private warehouses 292 industry

11.4 Basic layout of a warehouse 293

8.3 Steps in benchmarking

11.5 Schematic of a common warehouse

8.4 An informal process chart

8.5 Format for a process chart

11.6 Layout of paint in worked example 296

8.6 Part of a process chart for deliveries

11.7 Choice of automation and at a supermarket

warehouse size

8.7 Precedence diagram, with activity

11.8 Outline of Handemann Group’s

B following activity A

8.8 Precedence diagram for worked

12.1 Freight moved by transport mode example

8.9 Example of a multiple activity chart

12.2 Transporting coal across Canada 318

8.10 Multiple activity chart for worked

12.3 The travelling salesman problem 326 example

12.4 Solution to routing problem 328

8.11 Part of a simulation for Ed’s Drive- through Bottle Shop

Preface

SUBJECT

This is a textbook about logistics. It describes the way that materials move into an organisation from suppliers, through the operations within an organisation, and then out to customers. As you can see, we take a broad view of logistics, looking at every kind of ‘organisation’, moving every kind of ‘mate- rial’. We talk about manufacturers moving tangible goods – and service providers moving materials for their intangible services.

Every organisation needs a reliable flow of materials. Logistics is an essential function, and managers have to make the movement of materials as efficient and effective as possible. This is best done by an integrated function that is responsible for all aspects of material movement. The results are important, as they directly affect customer service, costs – and just about every other measure of performance.

Logistics is not contained within an organisation, but has a unique position in linking external suppliers and customers. Organisations increasingly recognise that they do not work in isolation, but form part of a supply chain whose aim is to satisfy customers. To emphasise this broader role, some people prefer to talk about ‘supply chain management’.

This is a particularly fast-moving field. Developments in operations – such as just-in-time, lean oper- ations, efficient customer response, enterprise resource planning, e-commerce, globalisation, and increasing customer service – are rapidly changing the demands on logistics. This book gives an up-to- date view of logistics, emphasising current trends and developments. It covers important issues, such as:

● increasing strategic importance of logistics ● global operations and increasing international competition ● integration of organisations and activities in the supply chain ● changing requirements from logistics to deal with new types of operations ● better communications allowing closer co-ordination of movements ● new requirements from aspects of e-commerce ● increasing emphasis on quality and customer-based service ● environmental concerns.

APPROACH OF THE BOOK

The book gives an introduction to logistics. It can be used by anyone who is meeting the subject for the first time. You might be a student taking a course in business studies, or another subject that needs some knowledge of logistics – or you might read the book to learn more about a central area of manage- The book gives an introduction to logistics. It can be used by anyone who is meeting the subject for the first time. You might be a student taking a course in business studies, or another subject that needs some knowledge of logistics – or you might read the book to learn more about a central area of manage-

P R E FA C E

ment. The book gives a broad description of logistics, covering all the main concepts. It discusses the topics in enough depth to provide material for a complete course, but it does not get bogged down in too much detail. By concentrating on key issues, we have kept the text to

a reasonable length. The book has a number of features. It:

● is an introductory text and assumes no previous knowledge of logistics or experience of management

● can be used by many types of student, or people studying by themselves ● takes a broad view, covering all types of organisation ● sets logistics within its strategic context ● describes a lot of material, concentrating on topics that you will meet in practice ● develops the contents in a logical order ● is practical, presenting ideas in a straightforward way, avoiding abstract discussions ● illustrates principles by examples drawn from international organisations ● includes a range of features, including chapter aims, examples of logistics in practice, case

studies, projects, worked examples, chapter reviews, problems, discussion questions and useful readings

● is written clearly, presenting ideas in an informative and easy style.

CONTENTS

The book follows a logical path through the decisions of logistics. An obvious problem is that the topics are all related, and decisions are made simultaneously rather than consecutively. In the book we effectively have to make a linear journey through a complex web of material. To make this easier, we have divided the book into three parts. The first part gives an overall introduction to logistics. It defines key terms, discusses the role of logistics, its aims, impor- tance, trends and the general context of supply chain management. It shows how logistics has developed into a single, integrated function.

The second part looks at the planning for a supply chain. This starts with the design of a logistics strategy, and then shows how this strategy can be implemented. Important decisions include the structure of the supply chain and the location, number and size of facilities. These decisions lead to lower level plans to organise activities and resources. The supply chain keeps changing, so we look at ways of measuring and improving the performance of logistics.

The third part of the book focuses on some specific functions of logistics, including procurement, inventory management, warehousing, transport of materials and international logistics.

Together these chapters cover some of the most important decisions made in any organisation.

CONTACTS

If you have any comments, queries, requests or suggestions for the book or associated material, the author and publisher would be very pleased to hear them. You can contact the author at donaldwaters@lineone.net.

PART I

Introduction

This book is divided into three parts. Part I contains two chap- ters and gives an overall introduction to logistics, as well as setting the scene for the rest of the book. It introduces some important issues which are developed in later chapters.

Chapter 1 defines the key terms, discusses the role of logistics, its aims, importance and the general context of supply chain management. Chapter 2 describes current trends, and shows how logistics has developed into a single, integrated function.

Parts II and III look at planning in the supply chain, and focus on different activities of logistics.

CHAPTER 1

The Context of Logistics

CONTENTS

■ Aims of the chapter ■ Chapter review ■ Introduction

■ Case study – Ace Dairies ■ Definitions

■ Project – Websites ■ The supply chain

■ Discussion questions ■ Activities of logistics

■ References ■ Aims of logistics

■ Further reading ■ Importance of logistics

AIMS OF THE CHAPTER

After reading this chapter you should be able to: ■

D E F I N E ‘logistics’ and associated terms ■ U N D E R S TA N D the role and structure of supply chains

■ L I S T different activities of logistics and understand the relationships between them ■

D I S C U S S the aims of logistics ■ S H O W how logistics contributes to customer satisfaction

■ R E C O G N I S E the importance of logistics to every organisation

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INTRODUCTION

All organisations move materials. Manufacturers build factories that collect raw materials from suppliers and deliver finished goods to customers; retail shops have regular deliveries from wholesalers; a television news service collects reports from around the world and delivers them to viewers; most of us live in towns and cities and eat food brought in from the country; when you order a book or DVD from a website, a courier delivers it to your door. Every time you buy, rent, lease, hire or borrow anything at all, someone has to make sure that all the parts are brought together and delivered to your door. Logistics is the function that is responsible for this movement. It is responsible for the transport and storage of materials on their journey between suppliers and customers.

On a national scale, logistics involves a huge amount of effort. The USA has a gross domestic product (GDP) of US$10 trillion, 1 so its population of 280 million produces and consumes an average of US$36,000 of goods and services. The world’s seven largest economies (USA, Japan, Germany, UK, France, Italy and Canada) have a combined GDP of US$20 trillion. All of this – whether it is oil produced in Canada, consumer electronics in Japan, cars in the UK or dairy products in France – relies on logistics to collect materials from suppliers and deliver it to customers. Millions of people are involved in this effort, and it costs billions of dollars a year to keep everything moving.

Ordinarily we only notice a small part of logistics. We might see lorries driving down a motorway, visit a shopping mall, drive through a trading estate, or have a parcel delivered to our homes. These are the visible signs of a huge industry. In this book, we take a more detailed look at this complex function. We discuss the issues and developments, and see how managers can get the best results from their logistics.

DEFINITIONS

Supporting operations

Every organisation delivers products to its customers. Traditionally we have described these products as either goods or services. Then manufacturers like Sony and Guinness make tangible goods, while AOL and Vodafone provide intangible services. In reality, this view is rather misleading, and every product is really a complex package that contains both goods and services. Ford, for example, manufacture cars, but they also give services through warranties, after-sales service, repairs and finance packages. McDonald’s provide a combination of goods (burgers, cutlery, packaging, and so on) and services (when they sell food and look after the restaurant). It is more accurate to describe products as lying on the spectrum shown in Figure

1.1. At one end of this spectrum are products that are predominantly goods, such as cars and domestic appliances; at the other end are products that are predominantly services, such as insurance and education. In the middle are products with a more even balance, such as restau- rant meals and hospitals.

At the heart of an organisation are the operations that create and deliver the products. These operations take a variety of inputs and convert them into desired outputs, as shown in Figure

1.2. The inputs include raw materials, components, people, equipment, information, money and other resources. Operations include manufacturing, serving, transporting, selling, training, and so on. The main outputs are goods and services. The Golden Lion restaurant, for example, takes inputs of food, chefs, kitchen, waiters, and dining area; its operations include food preparation, cooking and serving; the main outputs are meals, service, customer satisfaction, and so on.

THE CONTEXT OF LOGISTICS

Largely goods

Balance of goods

Largely

and services

services

Car House Bespoke Fast food Health Sea Education makers builders tailor restaurant service cruise

Figure 1.1 Spectrum of products

INPUTS

OPERATIONS

OUTPUTS

■ Raw materials

Figure 1.2 Operations creating outputs

The products created by an organisation are passed to its customers, giving the cycle shown in Figure 1.3. This shows customers generating demands, with operations using resources to make products that satisfy them. Logistics moves materials around this cycle.

The operations are usually divided into a number of related parts, in the way that a hospital has an emergency room, surgical ward, purchasing department, heart unit, operating theatre and so on. So logistics also moves materials through the different parts of an organisa- tion, collecting from internal suppliers and delivering to internal customers (as shown in Figure 1.4). This leads to our basic definition.

LOGISTICS is the function responsible for the flow of materials from suppliers into an organisation, through operations within the organisation, and then out to customers.

6 L O G I S T I C S : A N I N T R O D U C T I O N T O S U P P LY C H A I N M A N A G E M E N T

passed to

Customers

create

Supply of

Demand for

products

products

arrange passed to

Operations

Other outputs Other inputs

Figure 1.3 Cycle of supply and demand

External

External supplier

Operations within

the organisation

Inbound Outbound logistics

Materials management

logistics

Logistics

Figure 1.4 The role of logistics

Moving materials into the organisation from suppliers is called inbound or inward logistics; moving materials out to customers is outbound or outward logistics; moving materials within the organisation is materials management.

Materials

In these definitions we have talked about the movement of materials – but what exactly do we mean by materials? Sometimes this is obvious when, for example, a power station brings coal from a mine, a farmer moves potatoes to a wholesaler, or a computer manufacturer delivers PCs to a warehouse. At other times it is less clear when, for example, a television company delivers entertainment to its viewers, a telephone company provides a communications service, or a

7 research company creates new knowledge. Tangible goods clearly have to be moved, and you

THE CONTEXT OF LOGISTICS

can easily see the role of logistics. Even organisations providing the most intangible services move some goods around – perhaps paperwork or consumables – so they still need logistics. However, we can take a broader view and say that logistics also moves less tangible things, such as information and messages. Then a television company uses logistics to move around its production facilities, and also to transmit programmes to customers. In different circumstances, logistics is responsible for moving raw materials, components, finished products, people, infor- mation, paperwork, messages, knowledge, consumables, energy, money and anything else needed by operations. To simplify things, we describe all of these as materials.

M AT E R I A L S are all the things that an organisation moves to create its products. These materials can be both tangible (such as raw materials) and intangible (such as information).

THE SUPPLY CHAIN

Definition

So far, we have focused on the movement of materials through a single organisation. In reality, organisations do not work in isolation, but each one acts as a customer when it buys materials from its own suppliers, and then it acts as a supplier when it delivers materials to its own customers. A wholesaler, for example, acts as a customer when buying goods from manufac- turers, and then as a supplier when selling goods to retail shops. A component maker buys raw materials from its suppliers, assembles these into components, and passes the results to other manufacturers. Most products move through a series of organisations as they travel between original suppliers and final customers. Milk moves through a farm, tanker collection, dairy, bottling plant, distributor, and supermarket before we buy it. A toothbrush starts its journey with a company extracting crude oil, and then it passes through pipelines, refineries, chemical works, plastics companies, manufacturers, importers, wholesalers and retailers before finishing in your bathroom. A sheet of paper moves through several organisations before it reaches our desk (illustrated in Figure 1.5).

People use different names for these chains of activities and organisations. When they emphasise the operations, they refer to the process; when they emphasise marketing, they call it a logistics channel; when they look at the value added, they call it a value chain, 2 when they see how customer demands are satisfied, they call it a demand chain. Here we are emphasising the movement of materials and will use the most general term of supply chain.

A S U P P LY C H A I N consists of the series of activities and organisations that materials move through on their journey from initial suppliers to final customers.

Every product has its own unique supply chain, and these can be both long and complicated. The supply chain for Cadbury starts with cocoa beans growing on farms and ends with the delivery of bars of chocolate to hungry customers. The supply chain for Levi jeans starts with cotton growing in a field and ends when you buy the jeans in a shop. The supply chain

describes the total journey of materials as they move ‘from dirt to dirt’. 3 Along this journey,

8 L O G I S T I C S : A N I N T R O D U C T I O N T O S U P P LY C H A I N M A N A G E M E N T

Grown by gardener

Seedling

Planted by

Mature tree

Felled by logger

Large rolls

Finishing

of paper

Small rolls of finished

Cutting

paper

Sheets of paper

Figure 1.5 Outline of the supply chain for paper

materials may move through raw materials suppliers, manufacturers, finishing operations, logistics centres, warehouses, third party operators, transport companies, wholesalers, retailers, and a whole range of other operations. Sometimes, the supply chain goes beyond the final customer to add recycling and re-use of materials.

Structure of the supply chain

The simplest view of a supply chain has a single product moving through a series of organisa- tions, each of which somehow adds value to the product. Taking one organisation’s point of view, activities in front of it – moving materials inwards – are called upstream; those after the organisation – moving materials outwards – are called downstream.

The upstream activities are divided into tiers of suppliers. A supplier that sends materials directly to the operations is a first tier supplier; one that send materials to a first tier supplier is

a second tier supplier; one that sends materials to a second tier supplier is a third tier supplier, and so on back to the original sources. Customers are also divided into tiers. One that gets a product directly from the operations is a first tier customer; one that gets a product from a first tier customer is a second tier customer; one that get a product from a second tier customer is a third tier customer, and so on to final customers (see Figure 1.6).

In practice, most organisations get materials from many different suppliers, and sell prod- ucts to many different customers. Then the supply chain converges as raw materials move in

THE CONTEXT OF LOGISTICS

Upstream activities Downstream activities

Third Final supplier

Initial Third Second

First

First tier Second

tier customer supplier supplier supplier

customer customer

ORGANISATION

Figure 1.6 Activities in a supply chain through the tiers of suppliers, and diverges as products move out through tiers of customers. A

manufacturer might see sub-assembly providers as first tier suppliers, component makers as second tier suppliers, materials suppliers as third tier suppliers, and so on. It might see whole- salers as first tier customers, retailers as second tier customers, and end users as third tier customers (as illustrated in Figure 1.7).

Third Second

Second Third tier

First

First

tier tier supplier

customers customers

Materials Component Sub-assembly

Retailers End users suppliers

Figure 1.7 Supply chain around a manufacturer

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It is fairly easy to imagine the shape of a manufacturer’s supply chain, but most other organisations use the same general approach. Airlines, for example, move passengers from pick-up points, through local feeder services to major ‘hub’ airports, on to another hub, and then back out through local services to their destinations; banks collect all cheques in central clearing houses before sending them back to branches and customers; blood transfusion serv- ices have regional centres that act as wholesalers for plasma.

Each product has its own supply chain, and there is a huge number of different configura- tions. Some are very short and simple – such as a cook buying potatoes directly from a farmer. Others are surprisingly long and complicated. An everyday product like a shirt has a long journey from the farm growing cotton through to the final customer. It also has several chains merging as buttons, polyester, dyes and other materials join the main process. In the same way, when you buy a computer, many strands of the supply chain merge as Intel provide the processor, Matshita the DVD drive, Agfa the scanner, Hewlett-Packard the printer, Microsoft the operating system, and so on.

Supply chains diverge to meet demand from different types of customer. Manufacturers of car components, for example, sell some products to car assembly plants, some to wholesalers for garages doing repairs, some to retail shops for individual customers, and some directly to customers through websites. Then the supply chain divides into separate strands with the same product following alternative routes.

As you can see, our picture of supply chains is getting more complicated, with various mergers and divisions along their length. The reality is even more complex, as each organisa- tion works with many – often thousands – of different products, each of which has its own supply chain. The French company Carrefour is Europe’s largest retailer, and this comes at the end of tens of thousands of supply chains; Corus makes steel that is used in countless final products, DEL makes computers that are used for huge amounts of information transfer.

Some people argue that the term ‘supply chain’ gives too simple a view, and they prefer to talk about a supply network or supply web. However, we will stick to the usual name, and recognise that it refers to a complex pattern of movements. You can get some idea of the size and complexity of these from the Logistics in Practice example of Wal-Mart.

LOGISTICS IN PRACTICE

Wal-Mart

In 1962 Sam Walton opened a discount in the USA, and started its international store in Rogers, Arizona. He attracted cus- expansion. It moved into Mexico, Puerto tomers with a combination of low prices, a Rico and Canada, and then into South wide range of goods and friendly service. America, Asia and Europe. Most of its later Sam called his store Wal-Mart, and was so expansion came through buying local com- successful that he quickly opened more panies, such as ASDA in the UK. branches. In 1983 he opened a SAM’S Club

Wal-Mart always kept the same empha- warehouse for members, and in 1988 the sis on low prices, a wide range of products first ‘Supercenter’ selling groceries. By 1991 and friendly service. The scene is set at the Wal-Mart had become the leading retailer front door of each store, where a staff

THE CONTEXT OF LOGISTICS

LOGISTICS

IN PRACTICE continued

member greets customers and tells them large part of Wal-Mart’s operating expenses about special offers and promotions. By depend on the efficiency of their logistics. 2000 Wal-Mart was the world’s largest When margins are tight, a small change in retailer with 4000 stores, serving 100 mil- logistics performance and costs has a con- lion customers a week, employing 1.2 mil- siderable effect on profit. This is why Wal- lion staff – or ‘associates’ – an annual Mart use the ‘industry’s most efficient and turnover of US$175 billion and profit of sophisticated distribution system’. Their US$6 billion a year.

success can be judged by continuing

You can imagine the size of the logistics expansion, with annual sales up 20 per in Wal-Mart. On mainland USA they have cent in the first quarter of 2000, and like- 85,000 suppliers sending $1.5 billion dol- for-like sales up 5 per cent. lars’ worth of materials a week to 62 main distribution centres, and on to 1800 Wal- Sources: Wal-Mart reports and website at www.walmartstores.com mart stores, 800 Supercenters, 460 SAM’s clubs and 13 Neighbourhood Markets. A

Benefits of supply chains

Supply chains are so complicated that you might wonder if there is some way of avoiding them. Sometimes this is possible, when we move products directly from initial producers to final customers – when, for example, farm shops sell vegetables directly to consumers, or authors publish their works on the Internet. In general, though, there are very good reasons for having

a longer supply chain. Suppose the population of a town decides to buy vegetables from a farm shop. This would have a minimal supply chain, but the whole population would travel sepa- rately to the farm. It would make more sense to have a transport company collect the vegetables and deliver them to a central location in the town – like a supermarket. If the transport company delivers to one town, it can easily deliver to other nearby towns, perhaps stopping at

a depot to organise local deliveries. As there is a depot, vegetables can be put into storage while the supply is plentiful, and removed when there are shortages. If the vegetables need cleaning or preparation, the transport company can divert to a processing plant. Continuing in this way, you can see why a long supply chain develops, and what benefits it brings.

Supply chains exist to overcome the gaps created when suppliers are some distance away from customers. They allow for operations that are best done – or can only be done – at loca- tions that are distant from customers or sources of materials. For example, coffee beans grow in South America, but the main customers are in Europe and North America. The best locations for power stations are away from both their main customers in cities and their fuel supplies.

As well as moving materials between geographically separate operations, supply chains allow for mismatches between supply and demand. The demand for sugar is more or less constant throughout the year, but the supply varies with the harvesting of sugar cane and beet. When there is excess supply, stocks are built-up in the supply chain, and these are used after the harvests finish. Supply chains can also make movements a lot simpler. Imagine four

12 L O G I S T I C S : A N I N T R O D U C T I O N T O S U P P LY C H A I N M A N A G E M E N T

(a) Without a wholesaler (b) With a wholesaler

Factories Factories

4 routes inwards

32 routes

Wholesaler

8 routes outward

Customers Customers

Figure 1.8 Using intermediaries to simplify the supply chain

factories directly supplying products to eight customers (as shown in Figure 1.8). Logistics has to organise 32 different delivery routes but, if the factories use a central wholesaler, the number of routes is cut to 12.

The following list suggests some other benefits of well-designed supply chains (where we use the terms ‘wholesaler’ and ‘retailer’ as a convenient label for intermediaries):

● Producers locate operations in the best locations, regardless of the locations of their customers.

● By concentrating operations in large facilities, producers can get economies of scale. ● Producers do not keep large stocks of finished goods, as these are held further down the

supply chain nearer to customers. ● Wholesalers place large orders, and producers pass on lower unit costs in price discounts.

● Wholesalers keep stocks from many suppliers, giving retailers a choice of goods. ● Wholesalers are near to retailers and have short lead times. ● Retailers carry less stock as wholesalers provide reliable deliveries. ● Retailers can have small operations, giving a responsive service near to customers. ● Transport is simpler, with fewer, larger deliveries reducing costs. ● Organisations can develop expertise in specific types of operation.

ACTIVITIES OF LOGISTICS

Separate activities

Logistics is responsible for the movement and storage of materials as they move through the supply chain. But what activities does this include? If you follow some materials moving through an organisation, you can see that the following activities are normally included in logistics.

13 ● Procurement or purchasing. The flow of materials through an organisation is usually initi-

THE CONTEXT OF LOGISTICS

ated when procurement sends a purchase order to a supplier. This means that procure- ment finds suitable suppliers, negotiates terms and conditions, organises delivery, arranges insurance and payment, and does everything needed to get materials into the organisation. In the past, this has been seen as a largely clerical job centred on order processing. Now it is recognised as an important link with upstream activities, and is being given more attention. We describe procurement in more detail in Chapter 8.

● Inward transport or traffic actually moves materials from suppliers to the organisation’s receiving area. This has to choose the type of transport (road, rail, air, and so on), find the

best transport operator, design a route, make sure that all safety and legal requirements are met, get deliveries on time and at reasonable cost, and so on. We describe transport in more detail in Chapter 11.

● Receiving makes sure that materials delivered correspond to the order, acknowledges receipt, unloads delivery vehicles, inspects materials for damage, and sorts them.

● Warehousing or stores moves materials into storage, and takes care of them until they are needed. Many materials need special care, such as frozen food, drugs, alcohol in bond,

chemicals that emit fumes, animals, and dangerous goods. As well as making sure that materials can be available quickly when needed, warehousing also makes sure that they have the right conditions, treatment and packaging to keep them in good condition. We describe warehousing in more detail in Chapter 10.

● Stock control sets the policies for inventory. It considers the materials to store, overall investment, customer service, stock levels, order sizes, order timing and so on. We

describe stock management in more detail in Chapter 9. ● Order picking finds and removes materials from stores. Typically materials for a customer

order are located, identified, checked, removed from racks, consolidated into a single load, wrapped and moved to a departure area for loading onto delivery vehicles.

● Materials handling moves materials through the operations within an organisation. It moves materials from one operation to the next, and also moves materials picked from

stores to the point where they are needed. The aim of materials handling is to give effi- cient movements, with short journeys, using appropriate equipment, with little damage, and using special packaging and handling where needed. We describe materials handling in more detail in Chapter 10.

● Outward transport takes materials from the departure area and delivers them to customers (with concerns that are similar to inward transport).

● Physical distribution management is a general term for the activities that deliver finished goods to customers, including outward transport. It is often aligned with marketing and

forms an important link with downstream activities. ● Recycling, returns and waste disposal. Even when products have been delivered to customers,

the work of logistics may not be finished. There might, for example, be problems with delivered materials – perhaps they were faulty, or too many were delivered, or they were the wrong type – and they have to be collected and brought back. Sometimes there are

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associated materials such as pallets, delivery boxes, cable reels and containers (the standard

20 foot long metal boxes that are used to move goods) which are returned to suppliers for reuse. Some materials are not reused, but are brought back for recycling, such as metals, glass, paper, plastics and oils. Finally there are materials that cannot be used again, but are brought back for safe disposal, such as dangerous chemicals. Activities that return materials back to an organisation are called reverse logistics or reverse distribution.

● Location. Some of the logistics activities can be done in different locations. Stocks of finished goods, for example, can be held at the end of production, moved to nearby ware-

houses, put into stores nearer to customers, passed on to be managed by other organisa- tions, or a range of alternatives. Logistics has to find the best locations for these activities – or at least play a significant role in the decisions. It also considers related questions about the size and number of facilities. These are important decisions that affect the overall design of the supply chain. We discuss location decisions in more detail in Chapter 5.

● Communication. Alongside the physical flow of materials is the associated flow of informa- tion. This links all parts of the supply chain, passing information about products,

customer demand, materials to be moved, timing, stock levels, availability, problems, costs, service levels, and so on. Co-ordinating the flow of information can be very diffi- cult, and logistics managers often describe themselves as processing information rather than moving goods. Christopher supports this view by saying that, ‘Supply chain compet-

itiveness is based upon the value-added exchange of information’. 4 The Council of Logis- tics Management also highlights the combination of materials and information flow in their definition:

Logistics is the process of planning, implementing and controlling the efficient, cost-effective flow and storage of raw materials, in-process inventory, finished goods and related information from point of origin to point of consumption for the purpose of conforming to customer requirements. 5

Depending on the circumstances, many other activities can be included in logistics. Some- times an organisation might include sales forecasting, production scheduling, customer service management, overseas liaison, third party operations, and so on. The important point is not to draw arbitrary boundaries between functions, but to recognise that they must all work together to get an efficient flow of materials. In the example of Augulla, logistics may not be organised particularly well; you might consider the problems that this brings and how you might start improving things.

LOGISTICS I IN PRACTICE

Augulla Limited

In its Bombay factory, Augulla Limited straightforward, but the company’s chair- makes a range of basic clothes such as plain man, Pradhir Augulla, is disappointed at the T-shirts and underwear. The process is fairly time it takes a product to reach the final cus-

THE CONTEXT OF LOGISTICS

LOGISTICS

IN PRACTICE continued

tomer. He is considering buying other com- about the average times taken by different panies in the supply chain to see if he can activities, starting with the purchase of fibres improve overall performance. To help with on the open commodity market and ending this decision he has collected information with delivery to the final customer.

Start of supply chain with fibre available on the open commodity market: ■ Store fibre in commodity warehouses

(140 days) ■ Buy fibre and move to spinners

(11 days) ■ At spinners:

store raw fibre (21 days) spin to form yarn

(13 days) store yarn as finished goods

(11 days) ■ Buy yarn and move to knitters

(8 days) ■ At knitters:

store yarn (6 days) knit to form fabric

(9 days) store work in progress as grey stock

(12 days) dye standard colour and finish fabric

(7 days) store fabrics as finished goods

(8 days) ■ Buy fabric and move to Augulla Limited

(7 days) ■ At Augulla Limited:

store fabric (12 days) cut to form components

(5 days) store buffer of components

(6 days) sew components to form garments

(14 days) store garments as finished goods

(18 days) ■ Deliver to regional distribution centre and store

(21 days) ■ Deliver to local wholesaler and store

(17 days) ■ Deliver to retail shop and store

(19 days) End of supply chain when customer buys garment from shop.

You can see that it takes an average of 365 days for materials to move through the sup- ply chain. The main operations of spinning, knitting, dyeing, cutting and sewing only take

48 days, and various aspects of logistics fill the rest. Sources: Pradhir Augulla and company records

Organising logistics

It is probably easiest to imagine the activities that make up logistics in a manufacturer, with forklift trucks unloading pallets from lorries and moving them around warehouses. But the

(a) Conventional functional structure

(b) Matrix type of structure

Product Director

Finance Logistics

Sales

Human Resource

A B C D Others

Director

Co-ordination

Transport Warehousing

Figure 1.9 Examples of organisational structure

17 same principles apply in any other organisation. When a rock band goes on tour they carry

THE CONTEXT OF LOGISTICS

huge amounts of equipment. Procurement buys everything that is needed on the tour, trans- port packs it and moves it to the next destination, receiving makes sure that everything arrives safely, warehousing keeps things safe until they are needed, materials handling moves things between trucks and the stage, location decides where to perform. The same types of decision are made with even the most intangible service. Insurance companies, for example, decide what kind of branch network to have, where to locate offices, who to buy telephone and other services from, how to deliver information to customers, and so on.

You can see logistics in every organisation, and it obviously comes in a huge number of different forms. The activities can be arranged in many ways within an organisation, and there is certainly no single ‘best’ arrangement. A small organisation might have one person looking after everything. A medium sized organisation might have one department with different sections for purchasing, transport, stock control, distribution, and so on. A large organisation might have a logistics division employing thousands of people and running huge transport fleets. Sometimes all the activities are organised in a single department reporting to a logistics director; sometimes they are part of a larger department such as marketing or production; sometimes they are spread out in small pockets throughout the organisation; sometimes they are contracted out to third-party suppliers.

The current trend is towards an organisation where logistics is a single integrated function, with a logistics director – or equivalent – at its head. This follows a traditional functional struc- ture, with the logistics director working with directors in production, finance, sales, human resources, and so on (as shown in Figure 1.9a). There are many variations on this, with a common one found in companies organised around products or projects. Then some logistics might exist in each division, with a matrix structure allowing co-ordination of the overall function (shown in Figure 1.9b).

AIMS OF LOGISTICS

Logistics is responsible for the flow of materials through a supply chain. This function is also called supply chain management. Some people argue that logistics is somewhat narrower and concentrates on the movement within a single organisation, while supply chain manage- ment takes a broader view of movement through related organisations. This is, however, largely an argument over semantics rather than real differences in practice. Here we will stick to the convention that the two terms refer to exactly the same function. This view is supported by the Institute of Logistics and Transport – the main professional body within the UK – who give the following definitions. 6

L O G I S T I C S is the time-related positioning of resources, or the strategic manage- ment of the total supply-chain

The S U P P LY- C H A I N is a sequence of events intended to satisfy a customer.

Some people also talk about logistics management, business logistics, distribution manage- ment, materials management, merchandising, or a series of other terms. Sometimes you have to be careful as these terms can refer to specific parts of the supply chain or slightly different activities. When someone talks about, say, ‘distribution management’ you should be clear about whether they mean transport, physical distribution, the whole of logistics, or some other function.

18 L O G I S T I C S : A N I N T R O D U C T I O N T O S U P P LY C H A I N M A N A G E M E N T