A Short History

• The term logistics entered in the Military Terminology in the 18th century.
• The term received a written definition in 1905 as 'that branch of the art of war pertaining to the movement and supply of armies. But, it was not until World War - II that the term began to be used pervasively to describe the support of military forces and their equipment.
• The term logistics migrated to the business sector in the 1960s as academicians in marketing saw potential in applying the principles of military logistics to physical distribution of consumer goods.
• Most recently, the business community began viewing logistics as a component of a larger evolving concept, supply chain management (SCM).
• Beginning in the 1970s, the word logistics crept into the lexicon of the common culture. The word is now being used with regard to supply support of activities from church picnics to the Olympics.
• Clearly, logistics as a concept and a practice has evolved over the years and is now seen as a discipline practiced in different ways and contexts.
• Logistics means different things to different people. Even professionals in the field differ as to what logistics actually means.
• To some, logistics is managing the flow and stock of materials. To others, it is a customer support activity, a planning and engineering mechanism, or a science of calculating requirements and promoting operational capabilities. The dictionary treats logistics as purely a branch of military science. The
  Council of Logistics Management, now, Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals defines logistics purely in a product distribution context. The common culture of today views logistics as the underlying details of making something happen.
• All these definitions, explicitly or implicitly, have in common the concept of integrating many activities toward supporting an organizational objective. Further, all have expressed or implied a sense of meeting the material, system, or process needs of a customer.