A Management Guide to Logistics Engineering
This guide will prove a great help to businesses in providing the pratical advice that will enable them to master the art of logistics so it can be used to their best business advantage.
Inspec keywords: logistics
Other keywords: logistics engineering; management guide
Subjects: Systems theory applications; Management topics; Industrial applications of IT; Production engineering computing; Systems theory applications in industry; Production management
- Book DOI: 10.1049/PBME013E
- Chapter DOI: 10.1049/PBME013E
- ISBN: 9780855100360
- e-ISBN: 9781849194181
- Page count: 137
- Format: PDF
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Front Matter
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1 Introduction
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Logistics is probably not a word that production engineers and managers use on an everyday basis. Many will be unsure about the definition of the word, and others will limit it to the process which takes the final product from the factory to the customer, in other words the distribution operation.
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2 Principles and theory of logistics engineering
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The design and implementation of logistics processes has the objective of getting the right goods, to the right place, at the right time at minimum cost. Traditional production engineering design has focused almost exclusively on the value-add production process. Logistics engineering is part of the far wider scope of manufacturing engineering that seeks to create the most competitive manufacturing process throughout the total supply chain. Competitive logistics processes have as their foundation a commitment to total quality, elimination of waste and total involvement of the workforce.
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3 Enabling technologies
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Management of logistics engineering requires knowledge of the technologies used within the logistics processes. As with any set of technologies, wisely applied they give good service, but can rapidly become a hindrance to sustained growth and flexibility if allowed to dominate business decisions. If you've ever wanted to improve an operation and been told, “We can't do that, the system/hardware/ layout wont let us”, then it's time to take a good, hard look at the service the technology is supplying. This chapter briefly describes the technology and main areas of application for the production, storage, transportation, planning, scheduling and control aspects of logistics processes.
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4 Implementation
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This chapter presents the implementation of an integrated approach to logistics. The need of this implementation normally arise from studies of competitiveness, and the realisation that good performance from the logistics processes can provide a competitive edge. Fundamental changes to the logistics processes cannot be made in isolation from all the other processes in a manufacturing enterprise. There is a high level of interdependency, and mistakes from uninformed radical change are expensive. Clarity of objective, quantification of risk and a phased approach are essential for successful implementation of any proposed changes. The development of a coherent strategy for change is a critical success factor. A focused, cross-functional team operating within a structured framework and receiving firm guidance from senior management is the favoured management system.
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5 Logistics and 1992
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The attempt by the European Commission to create a “Europe without frontiers” is in no way a new one. Indeed, written into the founding Treaty of Rome as long ago as 1957 was the objective to establish an economic union based upon 'the four basic freedoms' of movements of goods, people, services and capital. The failure of the community to achieve this union, with seemingly anecdotal tales of the years spent trying to harmonize such things as lawnmower noise, are familiar to many.
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6 Conclusions
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An efficient and effective logistics process plays a central role in sustaining a competitive manufacturing enterprise. The Japanese know this, as evidenced by KanBan, JIT etc. Logistics processes in Western maunfacturing tend to have a lot of production information systems and little engineering. In contrast, our Japanese competitors seem to have processes with a lot of production engineering and only a few systems. In the future, it will be the appropriate mix of production engineering skills and production technology that will create competitive advantage. Maybe the West can win this race, but will it, if its production engineers continue to believe that production is all about the 10% of product cost spent on the factory floor?
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Back Matter
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