What exactly is logistics?

NATO says: “While the term “logistics” can encompass several different meanings, in essence it has to do with having the right thing, at the right place, at the right time. NATO defines logistics as the science of planning and carrying out the movement and maintenance of forces. It is of vital importance for any military operation and, without it, operations could not be carried out and sustained. Logistics can be seen as the bridge between deployed forces and the industrial base, which produces the material and weapons deployed forces need to accomplish their mission.”

“logistics… 1 : the aspect of military science dealing with the procurement, maintenance, and transportation of military materiel, facilities, and personnel . 2 : the handling of the details of an operation ” -from Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, 11th. ed.

Logistics is the movement of goods or people for a specific purpose. It might be bringing goods to customers, moving troops in the military, but overall it is the coordination of bringing goods or people from one point to another. It can be very complicated, changing hands or types of travel many times.

When I was a buyer for Bloomingdale’s I was monitoring where my order was to track timing and make sure I would have what I needed when I needed it. If I had a big sale coming up, if I did not have the stock necessary for the promotion in time, I was going to have a big problem. If something was late shipping from the vendor, I might have to do an emergency drop shipment bypassing the usual distribution chain and ship directly to the store. That’s just an example.

USPS, UPS, DHL, are using logistics to get your package from you to the receiver. It might move by plane, then boat, then ground, then change to a local carrier, etc.