Basic concept of logistics
1. Concept of thing: the concept of "thing" in logistics refers to all material materials that can move physically. An important feature of "things" in logistics is that they must be capable of physical displacement, and the reference frame of this displacement is the earth. Therefore, fixed facilities are not the object of logistics research.
2. The concept of flow: "flow" in logistics refers to physical movement. Circulation: the "flow" of logistics, operation is misunderstood as "circulation". The essence of "flow" and the concept of circulation are both related and different. The connection is that, in the process of circulation, the physical displacement of things often occurs with exchange, and this physical displacement of things is the transfer process of things indispensable to the ultimate realization of circulation. Logistics is a value-added service that pursues added value. From the perspective of logistics, it includes: packaging, loading and unloading, storage, inventory management, circulation processing, transportation, distribution and other activities.
3. Classification of logistics Macro logistics: refers to the overall logistics activities of social reproduction, which are understood and studied from the overall perspective of social reproduction. The participants in this kind of logistics activities are the big industries and groups that constitute the whole society. Macro logistics is to study the overall logistics of social reproduction and the logistics activities and logistics behaviors of industries or groups. Micro logistics: refers to the actual and specific logistics activities undertaken by consumers and producers. The specific logistics activities of a part and a link in the whole logistics activities also belong to micro logistics. The specific logistics activities occurring in a small regional space also belong to micro logistics.
4. The five objectives of the logistics system: The logistics system is a part of the circulation system that functions as a "bridge and link". It specifically connects production and reproduction, production and consumption, so it requires strong serviceability. In terms of technology, the "just in time supply mode" and "flexible supply mode" appeared in recent years are also the performance of its service. Fast and timely target: timeliness is not only the extension of service, but also the requirement of logistics. Fast and timely is not only a traditional goal, but also a modern goal. Saving goal: saving is an important rule in the economic field. In the logistics field, except for saving the circulation time, because the circulation process consumes a lot and basically does not increase or improve the use value of goods, leading the way to reduce input is an important means to improve the relative output. Scale target: take the logistics scale as the goal of the logistics system to pursue "scale benefit". The goal of inventory regulation: it is the extension of service and the requirement of macro-control. Of course, it also involves the benefits of the logistics system itself. The functional elements of the logistics system mainly include: ① logistics facilities; ② Logistics equipment; ③ Logistics tools; ④ Information technology and network; ⑤ Organization and management.
5. Logistic rationalization Logistic rationalization is the general goal of logistics management. It is the process of adjusting and improving the configuration of logistics equipment and the organization of logistics activities to achieve the overall optimization of the logistics system. The so-called logistics rationalization is to rationalize the configuration of logistics equipment and all logistics activities. Reasonableness means that we can get the highest service level with the highest possible logistics cost.
Logistics transportation
Transportation demand can be realized in three basic ways. First, private fleet equipment can be used; Second, sign transport contracts with professional transport companies. Third, an enterprise can book services for various transport carriers that provide separate shipment. These three forms of transportation are typically called private transportation, contract transportation and public transportation. From the perspective of logistics system, there are three factors that are very important to transportation, namely cost, speed and consistency.
In the design of logistics system, the balance between transportation cost and service quality must be accurately maintained. In some cases, low cost and slow transportation will be satisfactory, while in other cases, fast service may be the key to achieving the operational objectives. It is a basic duty of logistics to explore and manage the expected low-cost and high-quality transportation.
For the transportation related to the logistics network, managers should keep in mind the following three points: first, the selection of logistics facilities establishes the network structure based on which to create the transportation demand structure, but also limits the options available; Secondly, the scope of early cost is wider than that of waybill; Third, if delivery services are occasionally inconsistent, all efforts to integrate transport capacity into the logistics system may be lost. The concept of logistics has attracted more and more people's attention with the demand for commodity production, circulation and consumption. At present, the term "logistics" has also been used in China, such as logistics companies, logistics centers, etc. Logistics plays an increasingly important role in determining whether enterprises can win in the market. In essence, the performance of enterprises in the market is mainly determined by three factors: product quality, price and product supply. Any of these factors plays an important role in the competitiveness of enterprises, and these three factors are directly affected by logistics. The world economy will vertically re divide the labor among industry, suppliers, customers, trade and logistics companies. The emergence of logistics companies involved in production and sales will be an inevitable trend in the development of logistics industry. With the reform of modern enterprise production and operation mode and the change of external market conditions, the logistics form of "third party logistics" has begun to attract people's attention and show great interest in it. In western developed countries, the logistics mode of advanced enterprises has begun to change to the third party logistics or even the fourth party logistics.
What is third-party logistics
1. The concept of third party logistics originates from out sourcing in management, which means that enterprises dynamically configure their own and other enterprises' functions and services, and use external resources to serve their internal production and operation. Introducing "Out sourcing" into the field of logistics management leads to the concept of third-party logistics. The so-called third-party logistics refers to a logistics operation and management mode in which the production and operation enterprises entrust their own logistics activities to professional logistics service enterprises in the form of contracts in order to concentrate on the main business, and at the same time maintain close contact with logistics service enterprises through information systems to achieve the management and control of the whole logistics process. Therefore, the third party logistics is also called contract logistics. Driven by the logistics demand of the entrusting party, enterprises engaged in third-party logistics have shifted from simple storage, transportation and other single activities to providing comprehensive logistics services, including the organization, coordination and management of logistics activities, the design and recommendation of optimal logistics schemes, and the collection and management of information throughout the logistics process. At present, the concept of third-party logistics has been widely accepted by the western circulation industry.
In the past few decades, logistics has become increasingly important in determining whether enterprises can win in the market. In essence, the performance of an enterprise in the market is mainly determined by three factors: product quality, price and product supply. Any of these factors plays an important role in the competitiveness of an enterprise, and these three factors are directly affected by logistics. The world economy will vertically re divide the labor among industry, suppliers, customers, trade and logistics companies. The emergence of logistics companies involved in production and sales will be an inevitable trend in the development of the logistics industry. Third party logistics has brought a lot of benefits and convenience to all participants in the supply chain, so it has been greatly welcomed. The market potential is huge, and it will become the mainstream of the logistics industry in the next century.
2. Third party logistics and its market status: Third party logistics is a service provided by intermediaries in the logistics channel. The intermediaries provide all or part of the logistics services required by enterprises in the form of contracts within a certain period of time. Third party logistics providers are companies that manage, control and provide logistics services for external customers. They do not occupy a place in the product supply chain. They are only third parties, but they serve the product supply chain by providing a whole set of logistics activities.
The third-party logistics in the modern sense is an industry with a history of about 10 to 15 years. In the United States, the third-party logistics industry is considered to be still in the development period of product life cycle; In Europe, especially in the UK, it is generally believed that the third-party logistics market has a certain degree of maturity. At present, the proportion of Europe using third-party logistics services is about 76%, and the United States is about 58%, and its demand is still growing. The research shows that 24% of non third-party logistics service users in Europe and 33% in the United States are actively considering using third-party logistics services; 62% of users of third-party logistics services in Europe and 72% in the United States believe that they may increase the use of third-party logistics services within three years. Some industry observers have estimated the size of the market. The entire U.S. third-party logistics industry has a market size equivalent to 420 billion dollars, and the recent potential logistics market in Europe is estimated to be about 950 billion dollars.
It can be seen that the third-party logistics market around the world has the characteristics of great potential, gradual growth and high growth rate. This situation enables the third-party logistics industry to have a large number of service providers. Most third-party logistics service companies have developed from the traditional "internal logistics" industry, such as warehousing, transportation, air transportation, marine transportation, freight forwarding, and the logistics department within the enterprise. They have achieved success by providing distinctive services according to the different needs of customers. At present, there are hundreds of third-party logistics suppliers in the United States, most of which were not third-party logistics service companies at the beginning, but gradually developed into the industry. The service content of the third party logistics is now mostly concentrated in the traditional transport and warehousing scope. The transport and warehousing enterprises have a deep understanding of these service content and have some experience in each individual service content. The key is how to organically combine these individual service content to provide the overall logistics transport scheme.
In the practice of third-party logistics in western developed countries, the following points are worth noting: First, the scope of logistics business is expanding. In the face of increasingly fierce competition, commercial institutions and major companies have to focus on core business, and transfer transport, warehousing and other related business links to more professional logistics enterprises for operation, in order to save and efficient; On the other hand, in order to improve service quality, logistics enterprises are also constantly expanding their business scope and providing supporting services. Secondly, many successful logistics enterprises analyze and compare their own operating costs and agency fees according to the negotiation terms of the first party and the second party, and flexibly use the two ways of self-care and agency to provide customized logistics services. Third, the logistics industry has huge development potential and broad development prospects.