▷ What is logistics planning?

Logistics planning is a action plan that allows management in the supply chain and the activities involved in said process, in order to achieve the objectives established by an organization.

In this sense, logistics planning is a system of previously established ordered procedures, which involve the supply and distribution of the necessary resources, including the management of delivery of merchandise to the customer.

This planning process allows to reduce inefficiency errors, the Resource Optimization, increase productivity levels and detect any failure in the process, these being its main objectives.

Much is said about the importance of planning and logistics processes in any company or organizational system, however, it is a process in which in most cases is not given as much importance, as is actually required, dismissing the process and even improvising the plans of action.

How to achieve successful logistics planning

To achieve successful logistics planning It is first necessary to know the company and its environment very well, that is, to identify in detail all internal and external factors involved so as not to go unnoticed any important factor. There are companies like Beetrack that help this goal.

This allows the entire supply chain to be analyzed in order to develop action plans and resolve any obstacles that may arise in the process.

It is this sense to develop a good logistics planning the analysis of different elements is required that allow optimizing resources and improving productivity, these elements are:

1. The goals.

Setting goals is important to develop logistics plans and strategies that allow setting objectives for the execution of actions that are consistent with those goals.

2. Customer service.

Knowing the customer's needs in terms of the provision of the care service and measuring their receptivity response is necessary to understand and satisfy their needs.

3. Selection of suppliers.

A large part of having a good endowment of supplies is due to a good choice of suppliers, offering quality, good prices and efficiency in the distribution logistics.

4. Inventory systems.

Having a good planning of the inventory systems allows guaranteeing the endowment of supplies in each department from raw materials to inventories of finished products, achieving a point of equilibrium in the entry and exit of inventories.

5. Information systems.

Within the production process, a large number of information is generated that facilitates the analysis and control of the processes and allows you to compare the results obtained with the plans previously established.

6. Work teams.

Part of planning involves the delegation of functions to staff or work teams, since staff is a resource indispensable for the execution of activities and as an indispensable resource also requires planning Logistics.

7. Activity control.

This logistics management is not only limited to the planning process, but also allows to control that the execution of all the activities are being fully carried out according to the established plans and correct any inefficiency failure that is Present.

Phases in logistics planning

In logistics planning, as every process involves stages or phases that allow the execution of the processes to be efficient, these phases are divided into three stages that are:

1. Provisioning:

This initial stage consists of planning all the raw material supplies and materials and other inputs necessary for the production process, taking into account the quantity demanded, to avoid wasting resources and an excessive stock or inventory of products.

2. Production:

In the production process, logistics planning allows the control of activities in order to guarantee the supply chain and the costs reduction of production by optimizing resources, improving productivity levels.

3. Distribution:

In this final phase of the production process, logistics planning allows the development of action plans to guarantee the market supply and meet demand through efficient distribution systems.

Importance of having experts in logistics planning

For the effective and efficient achievement of productivity goals through the business logistics planning there is nothing better than having an expert on the subject.

Then for itexperts in business administration and management are the ideal candidate, reaching positions of executive directors.

Since these experts they use their knowledgeas professionals to create logistics plans throughout the supply chain, use their leadership skills to delegate functions and motivate the work team to achieve the objectives set.

Their professional knowledge helps to easily detect inefficiency problems and correct them, through efficient resource management.

In addition, without experts in using logistics planning as a mechanism to improve the competitiveness of the company in the market.