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TOPIC 4 - Logistics and Information Technology
TOPIC 4 - Logistics and Information Technology
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General Types of Information
Management Systems
Communication system
– Help stakeholders work together by interacting and
sharing information in many different forms
– Examples of telecommunication technologies
• Fax machines
• Personal computers
• Electronic mail
• Cellular phones
• Tablets
• Smart phones
General Types of Information
Management Systems
Communication system
• Examples of logistics information technology
– Electronic data interchange (EDI)
• Viewed as the measuring stick in the 1990’s
– Wireless communication
• Emerged as the measuring stick during the first decade of
the twenty-first century
• Device examples include
– Global positioning systems (GPS)
– Tablets (such as Apple’s iPad)
Electronic data interchange (EDI)
1Adapted from a definition of “marketing information system” provided by Philip Kotler and Gary Armstrong in
Principles of Marketing, 11th ed. (Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2006), Chapter 4.
General Types of Information
Management Systems
Management Information System (MIS) and
Executive Information System (EIS)
General Types of Information
Management Systems
Decision Support Systems (DSS)
• Help managers make decisions by providing
information, models, or analysis tools
• Examples of specific uses include
– Vehicle routing issues
– Inventory control decisions
– Developing automatic order picking systems
– Optimization models for buyer-seller negotiations
General Types of Information
Management Systems
Decision Support Systems (DSS)
• Several prominent DSS techniques include:
– Simulation
• Technique that models a real-world system, typically using
mathematical equations to represent the relationships
among the system’s components
– Application specific software
• Technique developed to help managers deal with specific
logistics processes or activities
• Popular option includes on-demand software (also
referred to as software-as-a-service or cloud computing)
General Types of Information
Management Systems
Decision Support Systems (DSS)
• Examples of logistics-related application-specific
software
– Transportation management systems (TMS)
• Software package that automates the process of building orders,
tending loads, tacking shipments, audits, and payments1
– Warehouse management systems (WMS)
• Software package that provides oversight of the storage and flow
of materials within a company’s operations2
1Amy Zucherman, “Transportation Management Systems Give Shippers Power to Make Smarter Trucking Choices,”
World Trade, January 2008, 34-38.
2Dave Piasecki, “Warehouse Management Systems,” www.inventoryops.com.
General Types of Information
Management Systems
Decision Support Systems (DSS)
General Types of Information
Management Systems
Decision Support Systems (DSS)
• Data mining – a DSS technique
– Is the application of mathematical tools to large
bodies of data in order to extract correlations and
rules1
– Dependent on data warehouses
• Central repository for all relevant data collected by an
organization
1 Sam Joseph and Daniel Scuka, “AI”, Japan Inc., November 2001, 20-28.
General Types of Information
Management Systems
Enterprise Systems
• Create and maintain consistent data processing
methods and an integrated database across
multiple business functions1
1Joel D. Wisner, G. Keong Leong, and Keah-Choon Tan, Principles of Supply Chain Management: A Balanced
Approach, 2nd ed. (Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning, 2008), p. 507.
General Types of Information
Management Systems
Enterprise Systems
• Shortcomings of Enterprise resource planning
(ERP)
– Costs of installation
– Time-consuming installation process
– Initially lacked strong application-specific
logistical capabilities such as TMS or WMS
The Internet’s Influence on Logistics
• Approximately 35% of the world’s population
uses the internet – up from 5% at the beginning
of the 21st century
1 Bridget McCrea, “Cloud Breakthrough,” Logistics Management 51, no. 11 (2012): 36-40.
The Internet’s Influence on Logistics
• Cloud Computing
– Advantages of Cloud Computing
• Pay-per-use allows firms to avoid high capital
investment which speeds up ROI for the software
• Since it involves operational as opposed to capital
expenditures, it is a viable option for firms that could
not afford to purchase, install, and maintain
application-specific software such as TMS and WMS
• Due to the economic slowdown of 2007, many firms
were forced to slash IT expenditures, thus benefitting
cloud-based applications
The Internet’s Influence on Logistics
• Cloud Computing
– Advantages of Cloud Computing continued
• Faster and less costly installation
• Smaller IT staff
• Regular upgrades and updates from the
software provider
The Internet’s Influence on Logistics
• Cloud Computing
– Drawbacks of Cloud Computing
• Upgrades and updates can be too numerous
and too frequent
• Limited amount of customization
• Security issues
The Internet’s Influence on Logistics
• Electronic Procurement, or e-procurement
- Uses the internet to make it easier, faster, and less
expensive for an organization to purchase goods
and services
The Internet’s Influence on Logistics