Modern logistics

Author: Wang Zhitai
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-01-01
Features: This book strives to comprehensively reflect the new developments and concepts in logistics science, while fully covering several fields of logistics science. It presents logistics science to readers in a systematic and comprehensive form, introducing China's research achievements and modern logistics technology equipment.
Chapter 1: Basic Concepts of Logistics
Section 1: Definition of Logistics
Logistics is composed of two fundamental elements: "thing" and "flow." When these elements exist independently, they have general meanings. However, when combined, their meaning becomes more specific and no longer fully follows the original interpretation.
1. The Concept of "Thing"
In logistics, the concept of "thing" refers to all material resources that can undergo physical movement in location. These materials can be tangible or intangible. Tangible examples include steel and cement, while intangible examples include natural gas and coal gas. It encompasses all materials in solid, liquid, and gaseous states that can be physically displaced. A key characteristic of "thing" in logistics is that it must be capable of undergoing physical displacement, with the reference frame being the Earth. Therefore, fixed facilities are not the subject of logistics research.
There are many narrow interpretations of "thing," some of which are only a part of the aforementioned "thing," or are mutually inclusive with it, but none can provide a correct and comprehensive summary of "thing" in logistics. It is necessary to clarify the following:
1. Materials. In China, this term specifically refers to means of production and sometimes broadly refers to all material resources, mostly industrial production materials. The difference between "materials" and "thing" in logistics lies in the fact that a significant portion of "materials" includes means of production that cannot undergo physical displacement, such as construction facilities and land, which are not within the scope of logistics research. Additionally, various daily-use materials that are logistics objects cannot be included in the concept of "materials" understood as means of production.
2. Materials. This is a specialized term in China's production sector. Producers habitually refer to all materials (regardless of whether they come from means of production or daily-use materials), fuels, parts, semi-finished products, external cooperation, and inevitable by-products such as scraps, offcuts, waste materials, and various wastes as "materials" in the production process.