Hub Group — or just “Hub” occupies a special place in my mind … they were the leasing company that for years supplied (and serviced) trucks to the regional distribution company my dad worked for.
When I was working in the warehouse and on the loading dock in high school, the manager, Mike, could often be heard telling a driver something like “Take that truck down to Hub to get the oil changed” or “604 isn’t back from Hub yet, go get 608.” They were THE company that did everything. I didn’t realize that at the time they were actually pretty small.
Though Dad is way past retirement age, he still goes into work 5-6 days a week, now managing a small warehouse selling mostly to contractors. As such, and given the nature of the products, he has just one warehouseman/driver. The truck? A typical tilt-cab Mitsubishi diesel box, bought used from the rental fleet of — you guessed it — Hub.
Here is an interesting article – the import of web usage patterns, and what they can tell you about your potential customers, and a hint at the ever-growing tidal wave that is “China.”
One way to learn more about supply chain and logistics management, the easy way, is to watch videos. Searching online, you can find hours of instruction, commercial-type pitches, and seminars on the subject.
Supply chain management (SCM) has a few defintions. It is the process of conceiving, planning, implementing, and managing the operations of the supply chain in an efficient manner. The Supply Chain Management domain covers the movement and storage of raw materials, along with inventory (in-progress), and general finished goods in the track from origin to consumption (and even disposal).
Or…
Supply Chain Management is the integration of supply and demand management both within an organization and across organizations.
Logistics and supply chain management have their beginnings in the middle ages? Yes, according to someone I spoke with recently. But I think it goes back to the caveman age. After all, hunts were organized to bring food back, co-ordinating over time and distance the logistics of the supply chain. Doing it right meant survival. Doing it wrong meant having to switch to alternative suppliers (vegetarianism or cannibalism?), moving to other locations, or starvation.
More on this history to come. For now, enjoy the summer and the ability to choose your food at leisure.
Logistics is both art, and science, and that means it has the essence of a good challenge. It consists of managing and organizing the efficient flow of resources from start to finish. Start being the beginning of production, and finish being the end consumption or marketplace. It all depends on the scope of the logistics that one is dealing with, as to where the fun begins, and where it ends.