Logistics Management

From time immemorial, even before the invention of the wheel, man has been busy travelling in search of food, place to live and out of sheer curiosity. Therefore the history of logistics is the history of man. On his travels he was exposed to situations where he had to carry food and other necessities of life to ensure survival. For carrying initially he used his hands and later developed carriers like bags, pouches and strings to hold items together. Later with the domestication of animals he had an alternative.

As the distance increased the weight and the number of items he needed and carried increased. Thus began his search for a system to handle his luggage. The search continues to this day!

Over the last few thousand years man has found out that he needs to carry few things that are needed and things which he can’t get at the place he is going to travel. Everything needs logistics service. Transportation, military, production, communication, businesses, etc. are all dependent on logistics to ensure a proper supply and continuity.

It’s said that Napoleon was defeated by the lack of good logistics. If the great Pyramids stand in the seven wonders of the world it is due to the excellent logistics solutions available in Egypt for the movement of the huge rocks, people, food and other utilities. Our own Taj Mahal was built by more than 52000 workers from over 24 different countries, 15000 horses and donkeys, 80000 cattle, 1000 elephants over a period of 12 years. Lack of proper logistics to control a country so big and population so vast was one of the reasons which drove the British out of India.

Man realised the need for a logistics service long ago and developed it as a science and an art called Logistics Management.