Logistics Overview - Concepedia

Principles

Definition

Logistics is the academic and professional discipline focused on the systematic planning, implementation, and control of the efficient and effective forward and reverse flow and storage of goods, services, and related information from the point of origin to the point of consumption. This field investigates the optimization of these processes within supply chains to meet diverse stakeholder requirements and enhance organizational performance.

Ontological type

Core Processes

Planning Methods

Strategic Role

Key developments

Key Figures

Integrated Lean Planning era

Douglas M. Lambert [1] is associated with Michigan State University [3] and The Ohio State University [4]. Lambert [1], through the 1997 paper Supply Chain Management: More Than a New Name for Logistics [5], reframed the field as an integrative management approach beyond traditional logistics, linking suppliers, inventory, and production planning to enable lean, responsive performance. Martha C. Cooper [2] is associated with The Ohio State University [4]. Cooper [2], co-authoring the same 1997 paper Supply Chain Management: More Than a New Name for Logistics [5], helped popularize the SCM paradigm as a strategic extension of logistics, promoting cross-functional integration and supplier collaboration.

Network-wide Optimization era

Antony Paulraj [1] is associated with the University of Manchester [3] and the University of Southern Denmark [4] during the era of network-wide optimization (2000–2016). His key contribution in this era is reflected in the 2004 paper Towards a theory of supply chain management: the constructs and measurements [7], which established constructs and measurements that anchored theory and guided early work on end-to-end coordination in supply chains. Martin Christopher [2] is associated with Cardiff University [5] and Cranfield University [6] during the same period. His 2000 paper The Agile Supply Chain [8] highlighted agile and resilient supply chain principles that enabled rapid reconfiguration and coordination across networks, helping to realize the end-to-end optimization goals of the era.

Digital Logistics Transformation era

Dmitry Ivanov [1] is a prominent figure in this era with affiliations across the University of Padua [3] and Universität Hamburg [4]. His work includes the simulation-based analysis Predicting the impacts of epidemic outbreaks on global supply chains: A simulation-based analysis on the coronavirus outbreak (COVID-19/SARS-CoV-2) case [7], the Review of quantitative methods for supply chain resilience analysis [8], and Ripple effect in the supply chain: an analysis and recent literature [9], collectively advancing pandemic-informed resilience, data-driven risk assessment, and understanding of ripple dynamics essential for Digital Logistics Transformation. Alexandre Dolgui [2] is linked to Nantes Université [5] and IMT Atlantique [6] in this era. His contributions include synthesizing quantitative methods for supply chain resilience analysis [8] and mapping ripple effects in the supply chain [9], which helped establish resilience analytics and ripple dynamics as core components of emissions-aware planning in digital logistics.