ABSTRACT

Logistics is a holistic approach to optimising the flow of materials and related information in and between companies or entire value chains (Günther and Tempelmeier 2005: 9). The basic meaning of logistics is coordination of the various processes involved in value creation through a series of flow systems. The significant element in designing logistic systems is combining the flow and storage processes. The networks involved may be comparatively simple but can be extremely complex (Göpfert 2005; Pfohl 2010; Schönsleben 2007; Weber and Wallenburg 2010).