Explain the Objectives of Logistics?

The Objectives of Logistics

Rapid response

F-flexibility objective of an organization: Some companies measure this as
response time to customer’s order. On an average how much time do we need to fulfill one particular type of customer’s order in a year? This is a measure of rapid response.

Logistics should ensure that the supplier is able to respond to the change in the
demand very fast. Entire production should change from traditional push system to pull system to facilitate rapid response. Instead of stocking, the goods and supplying on demand, orders are executed on shipment to shipment basis information Technology plays an important role here as an enabler. IT helps management in producing and delivering goods when the consumer needs them. This results into reducing of inventory and exposes all operational deficiencies. Now the management resolves these deficiencies and slashes down costs. [Concept of SMED and KANBAN as practiced by JIT companies in Japan or elsewhere]

Minimum variance

D-delivery objective of an organization, this can be measured as ‘On Time Delivery’
or OTD. If 100 deliveries are made in a month/quarter/year how many reached as per the commitment made to the customer? This percentage is OTD.

Any event that disrupts a system is variance. Logistics operations are disrupted by events like delays due to obstacles in information flow, traffic snarls, acts of god, wrong dispatches, damage in transit. Traditional approach is to keep safety stocks and transport the goods by high cost mode. The cost of this approach is huge. Logistics is expected to minimize these events, thereby minimize and improve on Time Delivery.

Minimum inventory

This is component of cost objective of a company. Inventory is associated with a
huge baggage of costs. It is termed as a necessary evil. Objective of minimum inventory is measured as Inventory Turns or Inventory Turnover Ratio. Americans call this measure as turn velocity. Logistics management reduces these turns without sacrificing customer satisfaction. Lower turns ensure effective utilization of assets devoted to stock. [Concept of single piece flow as practiced by JIT companies in Japan or elsewhere]. Logistical management should keep the overall well being of a company in view and fix a minimum inventory level without trying to minimize the inventory level as an isolated objective

Movement consolidation

Transportation is the biggest contributor to logistics cost. Transportation cost depends
on product type, size, weight, distance to be transported etc. For transporting small shipments just in time [reduction in inventory costs] expensive transport modes are used which again tend to hike the costs. Movement consolidation is planning several such small shipments together [of different types of shipments] by integrating interests of several player s in the supply chain. Generally, large shipment size and long distances reduce transportation cost per unit. Movement consolidation shall result into reduction in transportation costs

Quality

If the quality of product fails logistics will have to ship the product out of customers’ premises and repeat the logistics operation again. This adds to costs and customer dissatisfaction. Hence logistics should contribute to TQM initiative of management. In fact, commitment to TQM has made the management world  over wake up to the significance of logistics function. Logistics can play a significant role in total quality improvement by improving the quality of logistics performance continuously and continually

Life cycle support

cradle to cradle logistical support produce, pack (cradle) and repack (cradle)]A company has to support a product not only while selling it but it has also to give a good after sales service and in some cases support the product when it is being disposed off. In some countries it is mandatory for the manufacturer to support the product when it is being disposed. Example in European countries they have to ensure proper disposal of electronic goods like laptops.