According to the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP), logistics
management can be defined as ―that part of supply chain management that plans, implements, and controls the efficient, effective
forward and reverse flow and storage of goods, services, and related information between the point of origin and the point of
consumption in order to meet customers' requirements.‖ The history of logistics is rooted in its military application. Since WWII it
has developed into an important function of business as it became evident that logistics and transportation add place and time value
to products and enhance the form and possession value added by manufacturing and marketing. One definition of business logistics
speaks of "having the right item in the right quantity at the right time at the right place for the right price in the right condition to
the right customer". Business logistics incorporates all industry sectors and aims to manage the fruition of project life cycles,
supply chains, and resultant efficiencies. The term "business logistics" has evolved since the 1960s due to the increasing
complexity of supplying businesses with materials and shipping out products in an increasingly globalized supply chain, leading to
a call for professionals called "supply chain logisticians". In business, logistics may have either an internal focus (inbound
logistics) or an external focus (outbound logistics), covering the flow and storage of materials from point of origin to point of
consumption (see supply-chain management). The main functions of a qualified logistician include inventory management,
purchasing, transportation, warehousing, consultation, and the organizing and planning of these activities. Logisticians combine a
professional knowledge of each of these functions to coordinate resources in an organization. There are two fundamentally
different forms of logistics: one optimizes a steady flow of material through a network of transport links and storage nodes, while
the other coordinates a sequence of resources to carry out some project (e.g., restructuring a warehouse)
