Logistics is applied in a wide range of areas and industries such as humanitarian, urban, military and commercial purposes. All companies managing goods have to manage logistics and their role in a supply chain. The main functions in a company that are commonly incorporated in logistics and supply chain concepts are purchasing, inventory management and transportation.
The course deals with the fundamental concepts, approaches, and techniques within the design and operation of logistics systems and integrated supply chains. The design and management of supply chains is an important element of strategy and creation of competitive advantage. An effective supply chain must be configured to deliver customer value while also maintaining crucial cost advantages. Companies utilize new tools for modelling the full supply chain to integrate the firm's logistics and operations.
The course introduces the basic concepts in supply chains, including the role of different transportation modes and technologies, inventory management, environmental aspects of logistics and the impact of IT. Emphasis is placed on the use of fundamental principles, models, and case studies to illustrate the underlying concepts. The course is project based, which enables students to apply logistical tools and methods into real life situations and to connect the acquired theoretical knowledge with practical experience.
The main topics to be covered include:
• Introduction of fundamental concepts of logistics and transportation in supply chain management.
• The four classic traffic modes for transportation of freight
• Inventory management
• Role of IT in Logistics
• Basic transportation terminology
• Unit loads and intermodal transportation
• Storage and terminals
• Transport networks
• Actor structure
• Transport policy
• Environmental aspects of logistics and transportation
• Humanitarian logistics