Logistics, capital flow, and information flow are often mentioned. Simply put, logistics refers to the flow of goods, and all industries cannot do without logistics; Capital flow refers to the movement of funds during economic activities, with borrowing at the end and borrowing at the beginning; Information flow reflects the status and changing process of logistics and capital flow through various information technology records, and they complement each other and are indispensable.
In the transaction process, the transfer of goods from the supply side to the demand side is carried out according to market laws. These activities are regulated by market mechanisms such as price mechanisms, supply and demand mechanisms, and competition mechanisms.
This is commonly known as commercial flow. The entire process of commodity trading constitutes the research content of commerce, including market forecasting, business direction positioning, business mode selection, source organization, commodity procurement, commodity promotion, sales, financial management, etc.
This article mainly outlines the relevant content in logistics.
When it comes to logistics, the field of circulation cannot be avoided. Remember that the department I worked in the early days was the Circulation Business Unit, which was a project aimed at retail enterprises such as supermarkets, department stores, and bookstores.
Circulation, in a broad sense, refers to the flow of all elements that can flow, while in a narrow sense, it only refers to the circulation of goods and is the mainstream in the process.
The logistics commonly referred to refers to the physical flow process of goods from the supply location to the receiving location. It has multiple functions such as transportation, storage and storage, loading and unloading, packaging, circulation and processing, and distribution, each of which is very important and complex.
Logistics and commercial flow can be unified or separated. Unification refers to the simultaneous occurrence of logistics and commercial flow at the same time, and the realization of equivalent exchange in transaction methods. During the exchange process, producers transfer ownership of goods and also hand over the physical goods to consumers; The separation of logistics and commercial flow now has the possibility and necessity, such as consumers purchasing goods from retailers but goods being shipped from manufacturers, which can be clearly understood through the following figure.
According to the process of goods flow, logistics can be divided into procurement logistics, production logistics, sales logistics, reverse logistics, and waste logistics. According to the nature of the logistics system, it can be divided into enterprise logistics, social logistics, and industry logistics. The detailed classification is as follows.
Production logistics is a key link in enterprise logistics. From the perspective of logistics scope, the boundary of logistics in the enterprise production system starts from the input of raw materials and purchased parts, and ends at the finished product warehouse. It runs through the entire production process, spanning the entire enterprise (workshop, section), and its flow range is factory wide and full process. After the materials are put into production, they form logistics and continuously change their physical form (such as processing, assembly, storage, handling, waiting status) and location (various workshops, sections, workplaces, warehouses) over time.
From the analysis of logistics attributes, enterprise production logistics refers to the entire process of material movement in time and space required for production, and is a dynamic manifestation of the production system. In other words, the entire movement process of materials (raw materials, auxiliary materials, spare parts, work in progress, finished products) through various production stages or processes in the production system is called production logistics.
Social logistics refers to the overall logistics activities in social reproduction, which is understood and studied from the perspective of the overall social reproduction. Its main characteristics are comprehensive and global, mainly studying the operational rules of logistics activities in social production processes and the overall behavior of logistics activities.
Sales logistics is the final link of the enterprise logistics system, and another connection point between enterprise logistics and social logistics. It cooperates with the enterprise sales system to jointly complete the sales task of finished products. The role of sales activities is for enterprises to sell products through a series of marketing methods, meet consumer needs, and realize the value and usage value of products.
Waste logistics is the logistics activity formed by collecting, classifying, processing, packaging, handling, storing, and distributing items that have lost their useful value to specialized processing facilities according to actual needs. It is the activity of properly handling an object when it loses its original value or reuse value in order to protect the environment.
Reverse logistics refers to the physical flow of goods formed by the repair, return, and turnover of substandard items, as well as the return of packaging containers from the demand side to the supply side. For example, the reverse flow process of physical items in sales, such as recycling pallets and containers used for transportation, receiving customer degradation, collecting containers, raw material scraps, defects in parts processing, and work in progress.
With the development of e-commerce and continuous technological updates, the logistics industry has also developed rapidly. In the early days, warehouse and distribution separation was emphasized, and in the early days, enterprise self built logistics was mainly emphasized. Now, third-party logistics services (3PL) are more in line with production needs, and fourth party logistics (4PL) has also been well developed. It is a supply chain integrator that mobilizes and manages resources, capabilities, and technologies provided by the organization itself and complementary services to provide a comprehensive supply chain solution.
Logistics activities carried out by suppliers to sell their products, abbreviated as 1PL. (Supplier Logistics)
Refers to the logistics formed by users purchasing various goods from suppliers, abbreviated as 2PL. (Logistics of the demand side)
3PL refers to the business model in which logistics services are provided by logistics enterprises other than suppliers and demanders. (Supply and demand side external logistics)
A supply chain integrator that integrates and manages the resources, capabilities, and technologies owned by its internal and complementary service providers to provide a complete set of supply chain solutions.
The logistics industry is in the development stage of modern logistics. Modern logistics refers to a new type of integrated management that integrates logistics activities such as information, transportation, warehousing, inventory, loading and unloading, and packaging. Its task is to minimize the total cost of logistics and provide the best service to customers.
Many experts and scholars in our country believe that "modern" logistics is the process of transferring goods from the place of supply to the place of demand at the most economical cost based on customer needs. It mainly includes activities such as transportation, storage, processing, packaging, loading and unloading, distribution, and information processing.
