TABLE OF CONTENTS Logistics is all about managing inventory, whether the inventory is in motion or sitting, whether it is in a raw state, in process, or completed (finished goods). And true to the clich noted in Chapter 2, which suggests that you cannot make something out of nothing, you must have inventory to sell anything. The promise to serve a customer cannot be extended assuredly unless the product is on hand or can be made available in a timely manner. The challenge comes when customers demand the product NOW and you have to speculate about what they will want, in what quantities, and where to position it. The imperative, therefore, becomes having inventory available when and where customers want it.
Logistics professionals often recite the "Bill of `Rights"' when describing what it is that they do: delivering the right product to the right place at the right time in the right quantity and condition, and at the right cost. Having the right inventory on hand and near customers is the simplest way to ensure that they walk away happy. But like anything that is good for you and necessary for survival, it is possible to have...
