What does Logistics Mean?

A logistician is a professional logistics practitioner. Professional logisticians are often certified by professional associations. One can either work in a pure logistics company, such as a shipping line, airport, or freight forwarder, or within the logistics department of a company.

However, as mentioned above, logistics is a broad field, encompassing procurement, production, distribution, and disposal activities. Hence, career perspectives are broad as well. A new trend in the industry are the 4PL, or fourth-party logistics, firms, consulting companies offering logistics services.

Some universities and academic institutions train students as logisticians, offering undergraduate and postgraduate programs. A university with a primary focus on logistics is Kühne Logistics University in Hamburg, Germany. It is non profit and supported by Kühne-Foundation of the logistics entrepreneur Klaus Michael Kühne.

The Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT), established in the United Kingdom in 1919, received a Royal Charter in 1926. The Chartered Institute is one of the professional bodies or institutions for the logistics and transport sectors that offers professional qualifications or degrees in logistics management. CILT programs can be studied at centers around UK, some of which also offer distance learning options.

27 The institute also have overseas branches namely The Chartered Institute of Logistics & Transport Australia (CILTA)28 in Australia and Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport in Hong Kong (CILTHK)29 in Hong Kong. The International Association of Public Health Logisticians (IAPHL) is a professional network that promotes the professional development of supply chain managers and others working in the field of public health logistics and commodity security, with particular focus on developing countries. The association supports logisticians worldwide by providing a community of practice, where members can network, exchange ideas, and improve their professional skills.

In the UK, Logistics Management programs are conducted by many universities and professional bodies such as CILT as mentioned above. These programs are generally offered at the postgraduate level. There are many museums in the world which cover various aspects of practical logistics.

These include museums of transportation, customs, packing, and industry-based logistics. Engels, Donald W. Alexander the Great and the Logistics of the Macedonian Army, University of California Press (194 pages).

Huston, James A. The Sinews of War: Army Logistics, 1775–1953, United States Army (789 pages). Handfield, R.B., Straube, F.

, Pfohl, H.C. & Wieland, A.