Related flows in logistics. flow in logistics

10.10.2019

The object of study of logistics as a science and the object of logistics management as a business area is a system of material, information, financial and other flows. The fundamental difference between the logistic approach and the previous control of the movement of material resources was that if earlier the object of control was a certain accumulation of individual material objects, then with the logistic approach, the main object was the flow, i.e. a set of objects perceived as a single whole.

Flow is a collection of objects, perceived as a single whole, existing as a process at a certain time interval and measured in absolute units for a certain period. Flow parameters are parameters that characterize the number of objects that are available at a particular point in time and are measured in absolute units. The main parameters characterizing the flow are: its initial and final points, the trajectory of movement, the length of the path, the speed and time of movement, intermediate points, intensity.

Flows are classified on the following grounds:

1. For the system in question:

a) internal flows - circulate within the system;

b) external flows - are outside the system;

c) incoming flows are external flows coming from the external environment into the logistics system;

d) outflows are internal flows, according to
stepping from the logistics system into the external environment.

2. By degree of continuity:

a) continuous flows - at each moment of time, a certain number of objects move along the trajectory of the flow;

b) discrete flows - are formed by objects moving at intervals;

3. According to the degree of regularity:

a) deterministic flows - characterized by the certainty of the parameters at each point in time;

b) stochastic flows - are characterized by the random nature of the parameters, which at each moment of time take a certain value with a known degree of probability.

4. According to the degree of stability:

a) stable flows - characterized by the constancy of the values of the parameters for a certain period of time;

b) unstable flows - characterized by changes in flow parameters.

5. According to the degree of variability:

a) stationary flows - characteristic of a steady process, their intensity is a constant value;

b) unsteady flows - characteristic of an unsteady process, their intensity varies over a certain period.

6. By the nature of the movement of flow elements:

a) uniform flows - are characterized by a constant speed of movement of objects: in the same periods of time, objects go the same way; the intervals for the beginning and end of the movement of objects are also equal;

b) uneven flows - characterized by a change in the speed of movement, the possibility of acceleration, deceleration, stops along the way, changes in the intervals of departure and arrival.

7. According to the degree of frequency:

a) periodic flows - characterized by the constancy of parameters or the constancy of the nature of their change after a certain period;

b) non-periodic flows - are characterized by the absence of a regularity in the change in flow parameters.

8. According to the degree of compliance of changes in flow parameters with a predetermined rhythm:

a) rhythmic flows;

b) non-rhythmic flows.

9. By degree of difficulty:

a) simple (differentiated) flows - consist of objects of the same type;

b) complex (integrated) flows - unite heterogeneous objects.

10. By degree of control:

a) controlled flows - adequately responding to the control action from the control system;

b) uncontrolled flows - not responding to the control action.

By the nature of the generating objects, the following types of flows can be distinguished: material, transport, energy, money, information, human, military, etc., but for logistics economic sphere Of greatest interest are material, informational and financial flows.

2. CHARACTERISTICS OF THE MAIN FLOWS IN THE ENTERPRISE

2.1. materialistic flows

A material flow is a product (in the form of cargo, parts, inventory items) considered in the process of applying to it various logistics (transportation, warehousing, etc.) and / or technological (machining, assembly, etc.) operations and assigned to a certain time interval.

The material flow, considered not at a time interval, but at a given point in time, is a material reserve.

Material flows in logistics are characterized by the following parameters:

nomenclature, range and quantity of products;

overall characteristics (total mass, area, linear parameters);

weight characteristics (total weight, gross and net weight);

physical and chemical characteristics of the cargo;

characteristics of the container or packaging, vehicle (carrying capacity, cargo capacity);

terms of the contract of sale (transfer of ownership, supply);

conditions of transportation and insurance;

financial (value) characteristics;

conditions for performing other physical distribution operations related to the movement of products;

and etc.

Quantitatively, the material flow is expressed by such indicators as intensity, density, speed, etc.

The following features of the classification of material flows are distinguished:

1. In relation to the logistics system, internal (not going beyond the logistics system) flows and external flows entering the logistics system from the external environment (input) and leaving the logistics system into the external environment (outputs) are distinguished.

2. In relation to the link of the logistics system, material flows are divided into input and output.

3. According to the nomenclature, material flows are divided into single-product (single-type) and multi-product (multi-type). In this case, the nomenclature is understood as a systematized list of groups, subgroups and positions (types) of products in physical terms (pieces, tons, m3, etc.). It is mainly used for statistical reporting, accounting and planning.

4. According to the assortment, material flows are divided into single-assortment and multi-assortment. In this case, the assortment is understood as the composition and ratio of products of a certain type or name, differing from each other in grade, type, size, brand, exterior finish and other features.

5. In the process of transportation, goods are classified according to the type of transport, method and conditions of transportation, overall, weight and physical and chemical characteristics of the cargo, methods of packing, etc.

A mass flow is a flow that needs to be transported by a group Vehicle, for example, a whole train of many cars, a column of trailers, etc.

A large traffic is a traffic that requires several wagons or trailers, etc.

Medium traffic is the traffic formed by single wagons, trailers, etc.

A shallow stream is a stream of goods that is smaller than the carrying capacity of a single vehicle and can be combined with other small streams during transportation.

Heavyweight flows are flows formed by high-density loads and, therefore, occupying a smaller volume for the same weight. This includes flows formed by cargoes with a mass of one piece for water transportation of more than 1 ton, and for rail transportation - 0.5 tons.

Lightweight flows are flows formed by goods with low density, and therefore, with a given volume, determined by the dimensions allowed for a given vehicle, having a low weight. In such flows, 1 ton of cargo occupies more than 2 m3.

Oversized flows are flows of goods, the height of one place of which is more than 3.8 m, the width is more than 2.5 m, and the length is greater than the length of the cargo area.

6. According to the degree of determinism of the flow parameters, deterministic and stochastic material flows are distinguished. A flow with completely known (deterministic) parameters is called deterministic. If at least one parameter is unknown or is a random variable (process), then the material flow is called stochastic.

7. By the nature of movement in time, continuous and discrete material flows are distinguished. The former include, for example, the flows of raw materials and materials in continuous production (technological) processes of a closed cycle, the flows of oil products and gas transported by pipelines, etc. Most of the flows are discrete in time.

2.2. Financial flows

In the process of moving from one economic entity to another, a set of certain commodity values \u200b\u200bcan be considered as an appropriate commodity flow, the movement of which is due to the performance of a number of logistics operations.

In a market economy, increasing the efficiency of the movement of commodity flows is achieved mainly by improving their financial services. This, in turn, necessitates the identification and study of logistical financial flows corresponding to the movement of commodity values: all types of material goods, services, capital and intangible assets.

Financial flow is a directed movement of financial resources associated with material, information and other flows both within the logistics system and outside it.

Financial flows arise when recovering logistics costs and expenses, raising funds from funding sources, reimbursing (in monetary terms) for products sold and services rendered to participants in the logistics chain.

The mechanism of financial service of commodity flows is currently the least studied area of logistics.

Financial flows in one form or another have always existed in any way of organizing business activities. However, as practice has shown, the greatest efficiency of their movement is achieved by applying the logistical principles of managing material and financial resources, which led to the emergence of a new economic category— logistics financial flow. Consequently, logistical financial flows are created and used to ensure the efficient movement of commodity flows. At the same time, the specificity lies primarily in the need to service the process of movement in space and time of the corresponding flow of commodity-material or commodity-intangible assets.

Logistic financial flows are heterogeneous in their composition, direction of movement, purpose and other characteristics, which necessitates their classification. In each specific case, it is necessary to establish its own, special composition of the classification features of logistics financial flows. To classify financial flows in logistics, mainly such features as attitude to the logistics system, purpose, method of transferring the advanced cost, form of calculation, type of economic relations are used.

In relation to a specific logistics system, external and internal financial flows are distinguished.

The external financial flow flows in the external environment, i.e., outside the boundaries of the logistics system under consideration, the internal one exists within the logistics system and is modified by performing a number of logistics operations with the corresponding commodity flow. In turn, external logistics financial flows in the direction of movement are divided into:

incoming financial flow (enters the considered logistics system from the external environment);

outgoing financial flow (starts its movement from the considered logistics system and continues to exist in the external environment).

By purpose, logistics financial flows can be divided into the following groups:

financial flows due to the process of purchasing goods;

investment financial flows;

financial flows for the reproduction of labor force;

financial flows associated with the formation material costs in the process of production activities of enterprises;

financial flows arising in the process of selling goods.

According to the method of transferring the advanced value to goods, logistical financial flows are divided into financial resource flows:

accompanying the movement of fixed assets of the enterprise (this includes investment financial flows and partially financial flows associated with the formation of material costs);

due to the movement of working capital of the enterprise (financial flows arising in the process of purchasing, distributing and selling goods, as well as in the reproduction of labor force).

Depending on the forms of payment used, all financial flows in logistics can be differentiated into two large groups:

monetary - characterizing the movement of cash;

information and financial - due to the movement of non-cash financial resources.

In turn, cash financial flows are divided into flows of cash financial resources for settlements in rubles and for settlements in foreign currency, and information and financial flows include flows of non-cash financial resources for settlements by payment orders, payment requests, collection orders, documentary letters of credit and settlement checks.

According to the types of economic relations, horizontal and vertical financial flows are distinguished. The former reflect the movement of financial resources between equal business entities, the latter - between subsidiaries and parent commercial organizations.

The main purpose of the financial service of commodity flows in logistics is to ensure their movement with financial resources in required volumes, at the right time, using the most efficient sources of funding. In the simplest case, each commodity flow has its own unique financial flow.

The parameters of financial flows serve as indicators of the well-being and sustainability of enterprises, indicate the effectiveness of logistics activities, they are necessary when planning and organizing relationships with counterparties. For example, when drawing up the budget for the current year, they predict the amount of upcoming revenues and necessary investments, calculate the profitability and profitability indicators that are necessary when preparing financial statements, justifying the attraction of investments and loans, concluding contracts and agreements.

Financial parameters largely determine the economic viability of enterprises, their stability in the market, the strength of ties with suppliers and consumers.

2.3. Information flows

The information flow is a flow of messages in speech, documentary (paper and electronic) and other forms, accompanying the material or service flow in the considered logistics system and intended mainly for the implementation of control actions.

Information flows arising from external influences on the corresponding environment transfer information (messages) from its sources to its consumers. These flows can be of great independent importance for operational management and the development of strategic decisions, or they can correspond to material ones and manage them. The difference in the speeds of material and information flows can, if there is a correspondence, lead to a time shift between them.

To process information flows, modern logistics systems incorporate an information logistics center. The task of such a center is the accumulation of received data and their pragmatic filtering, i.e., turning it into information necessary for solving logistical problems. At the same time, the connection of the center with information sources can be one-way, two-way and multilateral. Modern logistics systems use the latter method of communication.

Thus, logistics operates with numerous indicators and characteristics of information flows: the nomenclature of transmitted messages, data types, documents, data arrays; the intensity and speed of data transfer; special characteristics (bandwidth of information channels, protection against unauthorized access, noise immunity, etc.).

There is no isomorphism between the information and material flow (i.e., one-to-one correspondence, synchronism in the time of occurrence). As a rule, the information flow either outstrips the material flow or lags behind it. In particular, the very origin of the material flow is usually a consequence of information flows during, for example, negotiations on transactions for the sale of goods, drafting contracts, etc. The presence of several information flows accompanying the material flow is typical.

Information flows in logistics are formed in the form of streams of electronic data arrays, paper documents in a certain way, as well as in the form of flows consisting of both of these types of information quanta.

Such information includes:

telephone messages and faxes;

waybills coming with the goods;

information on the receipt and placement of goods in warehouses;

data on transport tariffs and on possible routes and types of transport;

changes in dynamic models of the state of stocks;

control program libraries for technological equipment with numeric program management and directories of these libraries;

various regulatory and reference production information;

changes in dynamic models of the market and in its segmentation;

current information about production capacities;

current information about suppliers and producers;

changes in dynamic models of the portfolio of orders;

current information about work in progress;

data on release plans;

current data on warehouses;

data on volumes and types of finished products;

data on the actual sale of products to consumers;

data on financial flows.

Thus, the information created, stored, circulating and used in the logistics system can be considered useful if it is possible to include it in the current production and marketing processes.

For the successful and efficient implementation of logistics management based on the analysis of information flows, certain factors and prerequisites are required, namely:

availability of relevant information characteristics of the process;

an adequate level of systematization and formalization of the logistics management process;

organizational forms and system of methods of logistics management;

the possibility of reducing the duration of transient processes and prompt feedback on the results of logistics activities.

The information flow is defined by the following parameters:

1. Source of occurrence.

3. The rate of transmission, i.e. the amount of information transmitted per unit of time.

4. The total volume, i.e., the total amount of information that forms this stream.

The information flow can function in the same direction as the corresponding material flow, or it can be directed towards "its own" material flow. The direction of the information flow may in some cases have nothing to do with the direction of movement of the corresponding material flow. For example, components come from the producer to the input warehouse, and the corresponding accounts go to the accounting department.

If orders for the supply of raw materials, materials and components are satisfied, the information flow formed by these orders, issued in the form of documents, is directed in the direction opposite to the corresponding material flow. It arises before this material flow. In other words, this information flow precedes the material flow initiated by it.

The information flow moving towards the material can be not only preliminary, as already described above, but also lagging behind. For example, the flow of information formed by documents on the results of acceptance or refusal to accept cargo, various claims, warranty documents, etc.

Thus, information flows can lead, lag behind or be synchronous with the corresponding material flows. Each of these types of information flows can move in the same direction as the corresponding material flow, be opposite to it, or move in a direction that does not coincide with it.

Each type of information flow is characterized by its combination of these two qualities. Accordingly, the following types of information flows can be named:

leading with the same direction;

leading counter;

leading, differing in direction;

synchronous with the same direction;

synchronous counter;

synchronous, differing in direction;

lagging behind with the same direction;

lagging counter;

lagging behind, differing in direction.

Thus, various information flows are the links that unite various functional subsystems into a single whole. In each of these functional subsystems, material flows are realized that correspond to the goals provided by these subsystems. Information flows unite these subsystems into a single whole, so that the individual goals of each subsystem are subject to the overall goal of the entire value chain. This is the basic concept of logistics.

Types of information flows circulating in logistics systems ah, have some difference from all other kinds of threads. The difference lies in the very object of movement - the exchange of information between different parts of the logistics system.

2.4. Service flows

Service flows are flows of services (non-material activity, a special type of product or product) generated by the logistics system as a whole or its subsystem (link, element) in order to satisfy external or internal consumers of the business organization.

Service - the process of providing a service - the activities of the supplier necessary to provide the service.

The importance of logistics services has been especially increasing recently, which is explained by many reasons. Among them are social programs adopted by the governments of various countries, the development of the service industry and the concentration in it of an increasing number of companies and the employed working population, the focus of many firms on the end user, the development of the concept of total quality management in the service industry.

A large number of links in the logistics system and logistics intermediaries are service enterprises in which services are inextricably linked with a product that is distributed, promoted to the market and sold at different parts of the logistics chain. These links include various transport companies, wholesalers and retailers, distribution companies, etc. At the same time, the cost of services can significantly exceed the direct costs of manufacturing products.

In the West, the concept of "service response logistics" - SRL, is widely used, which is defined as the process of coordinating the logistics operations necessary to provide services in the most cost-effective way and satisfy customer needs.

The SRL approach is often the main strategic element in the management of many foreign service firms. Critical elements of this approach are the receipt of orders for services and the monitoring of service delivery. Like material flows, service flows are distributed in a specific delivery environment (for finished products - in the distribution network), which has its own links in the logistics system, logistics channels, chains, etc. This network should be built in such a way that with maximum efficiently meet customer service requirements. Networks of stations can serve as examples of such networks. Maintenance and service points of automotive companies, pre-sales and after-sales service networks of most companies producing industrial electrical household goods, etc.

Still missing effective ways assessment of the quality of service services, which is explained by their features in comparison with product characteristics. Such features (characteristics of service flows) are:

1. The complexity of the specification of services by the service firm and their evaluation by the buyer.

2. The buyer may be a direct participant in the process of providing services.

3. Services are consumed at the same moment they are provided, i.e. they cannot be stored or transported.

4. The buyer, purchasing services, never becomes their owner.

5. The quality of the service cannot be tested until the buyer pays for it.

6. The provision of services often consists of a system of smaller (sub-service) activities, with the buyer evaluating all of these activities.

These characteristics and features of services play an important role in the logistics process.

The evaluation of the quality of services in the analysis and design of logistics systems should be based on the criteria used by the buyers of services for these purposes.

For each parameter for assessing the quality of services, there are two values (conditional) - expected by the buyer and actual. The difference between these two values is called the discrepancy (mismatch) and assesses the degree of satisfaction of the buyer with the quality of the service. In Western economic literature, this discrepancy is often referred to as the gap.

To rationalize logistics management in the channels of promotion and sales of goods, it is necessary: firstly, to correctly assess the parameters of service quality, and secondly, to build management in such a way as to minimize the discrepancy between the expected and actual levels of service quality.

To do this, various assessment methods are used, such as, for example, customer questionnaires, expert assessments, statistical methods, etc. The difficulty lies in the fact that most service quality parameters cannot be measured quantitatively, i.e., a formalized assessment can not be obtained.

A flow is understood as a directed movement of a set of something conditionally homogeneous (for example, products, information, finance, materials, raw materials, etc.). Flows in logistics are one or many objects perceived as a single whole, existing as a process on a certain time interval and measured in absolute units.

Flows in logistics are characterized by such parameters as: the starting point, the final point, the trajectory of the path, the length of the flow and the parameters of their movement (speed, time, intensity, density).

Flows in logistics are classified:

By the degree of continuity (continuous, discrete);

By regularity (deterministic, stochastic);

By stability (stable, unstable);

By variability (stationary, non-stationary);

By the nature of the flow movement (uniform, uneven);

By the degree of periodicity (periodic, non-periodic);

By complexity (simple and complex);

By manageability (managed, unmanaged);

The main flows in logistics are:

Material flow - cargo, goods and materials, details considered in the process of applying various logistics operations to them and related to the time interval;

Information flow - a set of messages circulating within the logistics system, between it and the external environment, necessary for the management and control of logistics operations;

Financial flow - the movement of financial resources within the logistics system, between it and the external environment, aimed at achieving the effective movement of a certain material flow;

The flow of services is a special kind of activity that satisfies social and personal needs.

A material flow is a product determined in the process of applying various logistics or technological operations to it and related to a certain period of time.

Material flow is a material resource, work in progress, finished products considered in the process of applying various logistics operations to them (transportation, warehousing, etc.) and related to a certain time interval. The dimension of the material flow is the ratio of the dimension of products (units, tons, m3, etc.) to the dimension of the time interval (day, month, year, etc.). Material flows can be calculated for specific sections of the enterprise, for the enterprise as a whole, for individual cargo operations. The material flow, which is considered for a given moment or period of time, becomes a material stock (MZ).

The parameters of the material flow can be: nomenclature, assortment, quantity of products, overall, weight, physical and chemical characteristics of the cargo, characteristics of containers, packaging, terms of sale, transportation and insurance, financial characteristics, etc.

The main types of material flows:

external material flow - a material flow flowing in the external environment in relation to the considered logistics system;

internal material flow - a material flow flowing within the considered logistics system;

input material flow - an external material flow entering the logistics system from the external environment;

output material flow - internal material flow coming from the considered logistics system to the external environment;

freight flow - the volume of goods transported by certain modes of transport in a certain direction from the point of departure to the destination for a certain period of time (usually considered for a year).

Material flows can be considered as material resources if they have a natural-material composition. With these parameters, material resources are divided into:

raw materials - material resources;

basic materials - materials that are materially included in the manufactured products and make up its material basis (assemblies of parts, assembly units, etc.);

auxiliary materials - materials used in production, but not constituting the material basis of manufactured products;

semi-finished products - raw materials and materials that have been partially processed in production, but have not yet turned into finished products;

components - finished products, which for the buyer is an integral part of the finished product;

detail - a finished part of machines, mechanisms, equipment, which is used in the assembly of finished products in the producing shops;

node - an assembly unit consisting of two or more finished parts and used in the assembly of the finished product.

The specificity of the names of material resources;

Clarity in determining the volume of resources (quantitative characteristics of their mass, volume, area, etc.);

Name of the supplier of material resources and those responsible for the supply and shipment;

Determination of the place of storage of material resources that are subject to transportation;

Indication of the name of the recipient organization of material resources;

Indication of the destination of transportation of material resources;

Determination of the period for the movement of material resources from the storage location at the supplier to the storage location at the recipient.

The intrashop material flow is a flow of material resources that do not move constantly, but with periodic stops at workplace warehouses, at this time the flow does not move, does not change, is not disbanded and is waiting for the processing process.

Intershop material flows are such material flows that, when they enter the input warehouse, are disbanded, and at the output warehouse they are formed into new material flows that move in a certain given direction.

Material flows are distinguished:

1) depending on the nomenclature of elements;

2) by natural-material composition. Defines material flows as single-assortment and multi-assortment;

3) according to the degree of readiness (designed, planned, formed, formed, disbanded, liquidated).

information flow.

The process of managing material flows is based on the processing of information circulating in logistics systems. In this regard, one of key concepts logistics is the concept of information flow.

The information flow is a set of messages circulating in the logistics system between the logistics system and the external environment that are necessary for the management and control of logistics operations. The information flow corresponds to the material flow and can exist in the form of paper and electronic documents.

Logistics information flows through the following five modules:

receiving orders;

order processing;

transportation and cargo handling (shipment);

distribution;

Inventory Management.

The main database used for information support of distribution operations consists of the following files:

order data;

data on stocks and warehousing;

accounts receivable accounting data;

data on planned distribution requirements.

The control and data entry module is activated when information comes in from outside or when managers make a decision. This usually happens in the following situations:

receiving an order;

receiving a request about the status of the order;

preparation and coordination of forecasts;

setting a transport tariff;

receipt of goods for storage.

Logistic information flows are characterized by:

heterogeneity (information used in logistics systems is qualitatively heterogeneous). It should be noted that homogeneity in linear programming and, in particular, in the transport problem is understood as the unlimited possibility of transporting products from any point of departure to any point of destination. With regard to the process of information movement within the logistics system, the requirement for homogeneity also implies an unlimited possibility of transferring any document to any structural subdivision control apparatus;

plurality of subdivisions - information providers;

the plurality of departments - consumers of information;

the complexity and difficulty of the practical visibility of information routes;

the multiplicity of the number of transfers of documentation units for each route;

multivariate optimization of information flows.

Methodologically important from the point of view of logistics is the definition of the interaction of material and information flows. It has always been believed that the material flow generates information flow, i.e., the primacy of the material flow was postulated. However, modern information Technology changed the sequence of interaction between material and information flows, and currently there are three options for their interaction.

1. The information flow is ahead of the material flow. In this case, the information flow receives information about the achievement of material flows (forward direction) or it contains information about the order (opposite direction).

2. Information accompanies the material flow, moves simultaneously with it. This stream contains information about the quantitative and qualitative parameters of material flows, which allows you to correctly and quickly assess their condition and make the necessary regulatory decisions.

3. Information flow lags behind material flows. In this case, the information serves only to evaluate the results.

The increasing role of information flows in modern logistics is due to the following main reasons:

- for the consumer, information about the status of the order, the availability of goods, delivery times, shipping documents, etc. is a necessary element of consumer logistics service;

- from the position of stock management in the supply chain, the availability of complete and reliable information can reduce the need for stocks and labor resources by reducing the uncertainty of demand;

- information increases the flexibility of the logistics system regarding how, where and when resources can be used to achieve competitive advantages.

financial flows.

The financial flow is a set of financial resources circulating in the logistics system, between the logistics system and the external environment, associated with material and information flows. The movement of financial flows can take place both inside the logistics system and outside it. Thus, the specificity of financial flows in logistics lies precisely in the need to service the process of movement in space and time of the corresponding flow of inventory or inventory items.

The market economy, with all the variety of its models, is characterized as a socially oriented economy, which implies mandatory state regulation. Finance plays a huge role in the structure of market relations. Financial flows revolve in the financial environment. The financial environment means the internal and external environment of the enterprise, finances and financial resources (financial flows), sources and consumers of resources.

Financial relations cover relations related to education and the movement of financial resources between:

1) the state and the enterprise (enterprises);

2) between the enterprises themselves;

3) between individual states.

The financial institutions of the state include: the Ministry of Finance, its bodies, local financial departments and departments, financial departments of enterprises and control and audit departments. The financial system includes the following links: state and local budgets, social insurance funds, pension funds, personal and property insurance funds, finances of enterprises, industries, various special monetary funds. The financial flow depends on the availability of a serviced commodity flow. The direction of the movement of financial flows in logistics is determined by the need to ensure the movement of the corresponding material flow. In addition, the size and time of the movement of the financial flow (including the time of the beginning of the movement) depend on the chosen form of settlement between the seller and the buyer. At the same time, the form of mutual settlements with securities is considered the most effective. The movement of financial resources is necessarily accompanied by the corresponding documents, on the basis of which financial transactions are carried out. The occurrence of financial flows, direction and movement depend on the conditions specified in the sales contract (calculations of the supplier-buyer), the basic terms of delivery.

Service flow (service flows)

In addition to the material, informational and financial types of flows, there is also a service flow, which is the number of services provided for a certain time interval. A service is understood as a special type of activity that satisfies public and personal needs (transport services, wholesale and retail, consulting, information, etc.). Services can be provided by people and equipment in the presence of customers and in their absence, to meet personal needs or the needs of organizations. The need to introduce the concept of service flow is due to the growing importance and development of the service industry and the concentration of an increasing number of companies and people in it.

Service flows - flows of services (non-material activity, a special type of product or product) generated by the logistics system as a whole or its subsystem (link, element) in order to satisfy external or internal consumers of the business organization.

Service - the process of providing a service - the activities of the supplier necessary to provide the service.

Despite the importance of the service, there are still no effective ways to assess its quality, which is explained by a number of features of the service in comparison with the characteristics of the products. Such features (characteristics of service flows) are:

1. Intangibility of the service. It consists in the difficulty for service providers to explain and specify the service, as well as the difficulty in assessing it on the part of the buyer.

2. The buyer often takes a direct part in the production of services.

3. Services are consumed at the time of their production, i.e. services are not stored or transported.

4. The buyer never becomes the owner of the service.

5. Service is an activity (process) and therefore cannot be tested before the customer buys it.

6. A service often consists of a system of smaller (sub-services) services, with the customer evaluating these sub-services.

These characteristics and features of service flows play an important role in the logistics process.

©2015-2019 site
All rights belong to their authors. This site does not claim authorship, but provides free use.
Page creation date: 2016-08-20

Send your good work in the knowledge base is simple. Use the form below

Students, graduate students, young scientists who use the knowledge base in their studies and work will be very grateful to you.

Hosted at http://www.allbest.ru/

Educational Institution of the Federation of Trade Unions of Belarus

"International University "MITSO"

Department of Logistics

Student's independent work

Flows in logistics

Gaiduk Anna Mikhailovna

Course 2, group 1417

Supervisor:

Art. Lecturer, M.E.S.

Tretyakova Marina Leonidovna

1. Flows in logistics

A thread is one of many objects perceived as a single whole, exists as a process at a certain time interval, is measured in absolute units.

Logistic flows are a through material flow and related information, financial and service flows circulating between the enterprise's suppliers and consumers.

Flows in logistics and their parameters:

1. The starting point of the stream;

2. The end point of the flow;

3. Path trajectory;

4. Thread length.

Thread classification:

1. By the degree of continuity;

2. According to the degree of variability;

3. According to the degree of stability;

4. Characterizes the movement of flow elements;

5. According to the degree of periodicity;

6. According to the degree of complexity;

7. Controllability of the general flow;

8. Manageability of flow elements.

2. Material flows

The object of study of logistics as a science is the MT and the corresponding FP and IP. At the same time, a flow is understood as a directed movement of an aggregate of something conditionally homogeneous (for example, products, information, finance, materials, raw materials, etc.). The concept of MP is key in logistics.

The material flow is MR, work in progress, GP, considered in the process of applying various logistics operations to them (transportation, warehousing, etc.) and related to a certain time interval. The dimension of MP is the ratio of the dimension of products (units, tons, m 3, etc.) to the dimension of the time interval (day, month, year, etc.). MP can be calculated for specific sections of the enterprise, for the enterprise as a whole, for individual operations with cargo. MP, which is considered for a given moment or period of time, becomes a material stock (MS).

MP parameters can be: nomenclature, assortment, quantity of products, overall, weight, physical and chemical characteristics of the cargo, characteristics of containers, packaging, terms of sale, transportation and insurance, financial characteristics, etc. There is a wide variety of MP, products and operations with them.

The main types of material flows:

external material flow -- a material flow flowing in the external environment in relation to the considered logistics system;

internal material flow -- material flow flowing within the considered logistics system;

input material flow -- an external material flow entering the logistics system from the external environment;

output material flow - internal material flow coming from the considered logistics system into the external environment;

cargo flow - the volume of goods transported by certain modes of transport in a certain direction from the point of departure to the destination for a certain period of time (usually considered for a year).

Material flows can be considered as material resources if they have a natural-material composition. With these parameters, material resources are divided into:

raw materials -- material resources;

basic materials - materials that are materially included in the manufactured products and make up its material basis (assemblies of parts, assembly units, etc.);

auxiliary materials - materials used in production, but not constituting the material basis of manufactured products; logistic flow supplier service

semi-finished products - raw materials and materials that have been partially processed in production, but have not yet turned into finished products;

components - finished products, which for the buyer is an integral part of the finished product;

detail - a finished part of machines, mechanisms, equipment, which is used in the assembly of finished products in producing shops;

node - an assembly unit consisting of two or more finished parts and used in the assembly of the finished product.

1. specificity of the names of material resources;

2. clarity in determining the volume of resources (quantitative characteristics of their mass, volume, area, etc.);

3. name of the supplier of material resources and those responsible for the supply and shipment;

4. determination of the place of storage of material resources that are subject to transportation;

5. indication of the name of the recipient organization of material resources;

6. indication of the destination of transportation of material resources;

7. determination of the period for the movement of material resources from the storage location at the supplier to the storage location at the recipient.

3. Information flows

The information flow is a set of messages circulating in the logistics system, between the logistics system and the external environment, necessary for the management and control of logistics operations. The information flow can exist in the form of paper and electronic documents.

In logistics, the following types of information flows are distinguished:

Depending on the type of systems connected by the flow:

horizontal (the flow of messages between partners in economic relations of the same level of management) and vertical (the flow of messages from the management to the links of the logistics system subordinate to it;

Depending on the place of passage:

external (flow flowing in an external, in relation to the logistics system, environment) and internal (flow of messages circulating within one logistics system);

Depending on the direction in relation to the logistics system:

input (the flow of messages included in the logistics system, or one of the subsystems) and output (the flow of messages that go beyond the logistics system, or one of the subsystems);

Depending on the urgency:

ordinary, urgent and very urgent;

Depending on the degree of secrecy:

Depending on the importance of email messages:

simple, custom, valuable;

Depending on the transmission speed:

Traditional (mail), fast (fax, Email, telegraph, teletype, telephone);

Depending on the scope:

local, out-of-town, distant, international.

The information flow is characterized by the following indicators:

1) the source of occurrence;

3) transmission and reception speed;

4) flow intensity, etc.

4. Financial flows

The financial flow is a set of financial resources circulating in the logistics system between the logistics system and the external environment associated with material and information flows. The movement of financial flows can take place both inside the logistics system and outside it.

The market economy, with all the variety of its models, is characterized as a socially oriented economy, which implies mandatory state regulation. Finance plays a huge role in the structure of market relations. Financial flows revolve in the financial environment. The financial environment refers to the internal and external environment of the enterprise, finances and financial resources (financial flows), sources and consumers of resources.

In general, the financial system includes:

1) various spheres of financial relations within a given country;

2) the totality of financial institutions of the country.

Financial relations cover relations related to education and the movement of financial resources between:

1) the state and the enterprise (enterprises);

2) between the enterprises themselves;

3) between individual states.

There are the following types of financial flows:

1) in relation to the logistics system:

external financial flows; internal financial flows;

2) in the direction of travel:

incoming streams; outgoing streams;

3) according to the applied forms of payment:

cash financial flows (cash); non-cash financial flows; accounting and financial flows;

4) by types of settlements:

flows of financial resources through ruble accounts; flows of financial resources through foreign currency accounts;

5) by appointment:

purchasing financial flows; investment financial flows; financial flows associated with the formation of material costs in the production process; financial flows associated with the formation labor costs; financial flows arising in the process of product distribution;

6) by types of economic activity:

vertical flows; horizontal flows;

7) according to the method of transferring the advanced value to goods:

accompanying the movement of fixed assets; associated with the movement of working capital.

5. Service flows

Service flows are flows of services (special goods) generated by the logistics system or its link in order to meet the demand of external or internal consumers.

Service is a supply system that allows the buyer and / or consumer to choose the best option for purchasing and consuming goods.

Along with this, work on the provision of services, i.e. to satisfy someone's needs, also commonly called a service or service. The service is inextricably linked with the sales process and is a set of services provided in the process of ordering, delivery, purchase and further maintenance of products.

A service is an action of a legal or natural person that benefits, helps another person or company.

Characteristics of service flows:

1. The complexity of the specification of services by the service firm and their evaluation by the buyer.

2. The buyer may be a direct participant in the process of providing services.

3. Services are consumed at the same moment they are provided, i.e. cannot be stored or transported.

4. The buyer, purchasing services, never becomes their owner.

5. The quality of the service cannot be tested until the buyer pays for it.

6. The provision of services often consists of a system of smaller (sub-service) activities, with the buyer evaluating all of these activities.

These characteristics and features of services play an important role in the logistics process.

It is very important to take into account the fact that the quality of services in logistics is manifested at the moment when the service provider and the buyer meet "face to face".

In this case, two situations may arise: if there are no special problems in bringing services to the consumer, the supplier can really convince the buyer of their high quality.

If there are problems, the situation, as a rule, cannot be corrected, no matter how high the quality of the service actually is.

List of sources used

1. Rudocs.exdat.com [Electronic resource] - Access mode: http://rudocs.exdat.com/docs/index-42741.html?page=2 - Access date: 03.10.2015.;

2. Logistic-info [Electronic resource] - Access mode: http://logistic-info.ru/materialnyj-potok.html - Access date: 03.10.2015.;

3. Logistic-info [Electronic resource] - Access mode: http://logistic-info.ru/informacionnye-potoki.html - Access date: 03.10.2015.;

4. LIVEJOURNAL [Electronic resource] - Access mode: http://tonygcoolioff.livejournal.com/13356.html - Access date: 03.10.2015.;

5. Multiportal KM.RU [Electronic resource] - Access mode: http://www.km.ru/referats/332957-potoki-v-logistike - Access date: 03.10.2015.

Hosted on Allbest.ru

Similar Documents

The essence of financial and information, service flows, their characteristics, classification features. Three sides in the logistics of the company. The main management functions of the administration of the logistics system. Functions of logistic analysis and audit.

control work, added 12/11/2010

The main systems of material, information, financial and other flows. Material flows in logistics, their concept, general scheme, units of measurement and types. The concept of logistics service. Determining the optimal level of logistics service.

abstract, added 11/25/2010

Types of information flows in logistics, their structure. The main tasks solved using various information systems, the principles of their construction. Use of barcode automatic identification technology in the logistics process.

control work, added 11/25/2009

Classification of material flows. The cost of labor, material, financial and information resources. Purchasing logistics tasks. Supply function in the enterprise. Classification of logistics operations in the process of procurement, production and marketing.

control work, added 02/01/2016

Economic bases of functioning of industrial logistical system. Information flows in logistics. Analysis of the current organizational structure logistics service of the enterprise and its influence on the mechanism for the implementation of logistics processes.

term paper, added 12/20/2016

The main economic indicators of LLC "Sovlit", the composition of the main functions of the logistics service. Characteristics of material, financial and information flows. The content of the logistics operations of the enterprise. Procurement and distribution logistics.

term paper, added 12/15/2010

The concept and types of material flows in logistics. Organizational and economic characteristics of a modern trading enterprise. Proposals for improving the warehousing of goods in Metro Cash & Carry LLC. Legal, project software.

thesis, added 04/30/2014

Information logistics: organization of the flow of data accompanying the material flow. The main types of information flows, the reasons for the increase in their role in modern logistics. Classification of information systems in logistics, principles of their construction.

abstract, added 05/08/2011

Types of information flows in logistics: horizontal and vertical; external and internal; paper, electronic, mixed; regular, operational, random, on-line, off-line. The structure of information flows of a modern industrial enterprise.

control work, added 08/23/2013

Creation of logistics information systems. Their types. Principles of construction of logistics information systems. Information flows in logistics. Remote data transmission. Practical bases of construction of logistical chains.

flow analysis

Logistic principle - streaming analysis.

The main object of research and management in logistics is the material flow. In the 1990s, not only information and financial flows related to the material, but also the flow of services, i.e. service flow.

According to narrow approach logistics is defined as the management of goods movement - all physical operations for the delivery of goods from a supplier.

Within the framework of more broad approach the multidimensionality of the concept of "logistics" is emphasized. Management aspect logistics - planning, management and control of flows. Economic aspect- activities with the aim of obtaining at the lowest cost the required quantity of products at a specified time, in a specified place. In accordance with operational and financial aspect the interpretation of logistics is given based on the time of calculation of partners.

Types and characteristics of logistics flows

The main flows are material, information, financial.

material flow- products considered in the process of applying various logistics operations to it and related to the time interval:

1) material resources (objects of labor: raw materials, basic and auxiliary materials, components, production waste);

2) work in progress (products not finished within the enterprise);

3) finished products (handed over to the warehouse of finished products or shipped to the buyer).

Classification material flows:

According to the nomenclature - single-product and multi-product;

Quantitatively - mass, large, medium and small. A mass flow occurs in the process of transporting goods by a group of vehicles (railway train, caravan of ships, convoy of cars). Large streams - several wagons, cars. Medium - single wagons or cars. Small - do not allow full use of the carrying capacity of the vehicle and require combination with passing cargo;

By specific gravity - heavy and light weight. Heavyweight ones provide full use of the carrying capacity of the vehicle (metals), while lightweight ones do not (tobacco);

According to the degree of compatibility - compatible and incompatible (mainly food);

According to the consistency - bulk, bulk, commodity-piece, bulk. Bulk (grain) - the main property is flowability. They can be transported in specialized vehicles, wagons, platforms, containers, vehicles). Bulk (as a rule, of mineral origin - salt, sand, coal, ore) - free-flowing, but can cake and sinter. Transported without packaging. Liquid products are transported in tanks and tankers.

Information flow- a set of messages circulating in the system, as well as between the system and the external environment, necessary for the management and control of logistics operations. It exists in speech, paper, electronic (paperless) and other forms.

In relation to the material flow, it can be: leading, simultaneous and lagging, as well as unidirectional and counter. For example, advancing flow in the opposite direction - information about the order; advancing flow in the forward direction - messages about the upcoming arrival of the cargo; simultaneous unidirectional flow - information about the quantitative and qualitative parameters of the material flow; flow retarded in the opposite direction - claims, confirmations, etc.

In logistics, the following types of information flows are distinguished

1) according to the type of system linking:

Horizontal - belong to the same level of the hierarchy;

Vertical - from the top level of management to the bottom.

2) according to the degree of openness:

open; closed; simple; custom.

3) depending on the destination:

Directive (managers);

Reference and normative;

Accounting and analytical.

financial flow- this is a directed movement of financial resources circulating in the logistics system, as well as between the logistics system and the external environment, necessary to ensure the effective movement of a certain material flow. Classification of financial flows:

1. By purpose, logistics financial flows are divided into the following groups (the main objects of logistics management)

Purchasing - due to the process of purchasing goods;

Investment financial flows;

On the reproduction of the labor force;

Production - associated with the formation of material costs in the process of production activities of the enterprise;

Sales - arising in the process of selling goods

Depending on the sources of financing, logistics financial flows are divided into:

- own, which may be at the disposal of the decision maker in the form of free, including cash, and also come from profits from production and marketing activities, from depreciation activities, various sales in addition to the goods produced (for example, real estate) and others

- borrowed, which are various kinds of loans secured against a bill of exchange or against other forms of obligations.

Depending on the forms of payment used, all financial flows in logistics can be differentiated into large groups:

- monetary financial flows characterizing the movement of cash financial resources, which in turn are divided into cash flows for ruble settlements and for currency settlements;

- information and financial flows due to the movement of non-cash financial resources; these include flows of non-cash financial resources for settlements by payment orders, checks;

- accounting and financial flows that arise in the production of goods or the provision of services at the stage of increasing the advanced value. An increase in the advanced value is understood as the process of formation of material costs of the production activities of a commercial organization. The movement of financial resources within the framework of this process characterizes the logistical accounting and financial flows.

4. The types of economic relations differ:

horizontal financial flows reflecting the movement of financial resources between equal business entities; vertical financial flows flowing between subsidiaries and parent commercial organizations.

Logistic system and its elements

Elements of the logistics system - a logistics link, a logistics chain, a logistics channel.

Link of the logistics system(ZLS) - a certain element that transforms the material, financial, information flows included in it

Rice. Logistic system flow vectors

X, R, C - vectors of parameters of the input material (X = (x 1, x 2, ... x n), informational (R = (r 1 , r 2 ,... r n) and financial (С = (с 1 , c 2 ... c k) streams. F - vector of external disturbances (F = (f 1 , f 2 , ... f l )); Z - vector of state parameters of the link of the logistics system (Z = (z 1 , z 2 ... z s )). Y", R", C" - vectors of output parameters of the corresponding streams.

In turn, each link in the logistics chain combines its elements, namely: vehicles, storage facilities, means of communication and management, personnel.

Logistics chain- this is a linearly ordered set of links of the logistics system (manufacturers, warehouses, etc.) that carry out logistics operations to bring the material flow from one link of the logistics system to another.

Rice. An example of a simple supply chain: GP - finished products; ZLS - a link in the logistics system

In addition, a logistic chain can take the form of a directed graph (the main concept of graph theory) defined by a set of vertices (points) and a set of edges (connections) connecting some pairs of vertices.

The definition of a logistics system is given on the basis of general systems theory and cybernetics.

Logistics system - an adaptive feedback system that performs certain logistics functions and logistics operations, consisting, as a rule, of several subsystems and having developed connections with the external environment. A logistics system usually has a tree structure, which corresponds to a multi-level traffic scheme in which the material flow The path from producer to consumer passes through intermediaries.

There are 3 types of logistics systems:

With direct links (producer - consumer);

Echeloned (producer - intermediaries - consumer);

Flexible (the movement of the material flow can be carried out both directly and through intermediaries).

As logistics systems, one can consider an industrial enterprise, a trading enterprise, the infrastructure of the economy of a country or a group of countries. There are micro and macro logistics systems, and, consequently, micrologistics and macrologistics.

Micrologistics decides local tasks within individual links and provides logistics operations for planning, implementation and control over the processes of movement of goods within industrial enterprises or outside them. For example, intra-production logistics, when various logistics operations are planned within the enterprise - transport and storage, handling, etc.

Macrologistic system - This large system management of material flows, covering enterprises and organizations of industry, intermediary, marketing, trade and transport organizations of various departments located in different regions of the country or in different countries. The macrologistic system represents a certain infrastructure of the economy of a country, region or group of countries. They are classified according to the following criteria:

By territorial- city, regional, inter-regional, republican and inter-republican;

By object-functional - macrologistic systems of a group of enterprises, departmental, sectoral, intersectoral, trade, military, transport, etc.;

By globalization - state (transnational), interstate (international) and transcontinental.

logistics operation- a separate set of actions aimed at transforming the material or information flow (warehousing, transportation, processing of information flow data, etc.).

Classification features logistics operation:

By the nature of the flow - material and informational;

By change in consumer value - with or without value added;

By transfer of ownership of the goods - one-sided (without transfer) and two-sided (with transfer).

Logistic function - an enlarged group of logistics operations aimed at achieving the goals of the logistics system and set by the values of indicators that are its output variables (supply, production, sales).

Rice. Micrologistic system:MR - material resources; GP - finished products; VMP - return material flows

Functional areas of logistics

In the process of commodity circulation, spatio-temporal transformation of goods is carried out.

The object of logistics, as you know, is end-to-end material and information flows, however, in some areas, its management has certain specifics. In accordance with this specificity, five functional areas of logistics: purchasing, production, distribution, transport and information.

Purchasing logistics

In the process of providing the enterprise with raw materials and materials, tasks are solved purchasing logistics. At this stage, suppliers are studied and selected, contracts are concluded and their execution is monitored, measures are taken in case of violation of the terms of delivery. Any manufacturing enterprise has a service that performs the listed functions. Logistics approach to the management of material flows requires that the activity of this service, associated with the formation of the parameters of the through material flow, does not get isolated, but obeys the strategy for managing the through material flow.

In practice, the boundaries of the activities that make up the main content of procurement logistics are determined by the terms of the contract with suppliers and the composition of the functions of the supply service within the enterprise and include the entire supply, partly production and partly the external environment:

Rice. Sections of the material flow, where the tasks of procurement, production and distribution logistics are mainly solved

To provide the enterprise with objects of labor, it is necessary to solve problems :

what to buy;

how much to buy;

from whom to buy;

under what conditions to buy.

In addition, you need to do the following:

enter into a contract;

control the execution of the contract;

organize delivery;

organize storage.

Production logistics

The tasks of production logistics relate to the management of material flows within enterprises that create material wealth or provide such material services as storage, packaging, hanging, stacking, etc. The specificity of production logistics is territorial compactness. The boundaries of activity include entirely production, partly supply and partly sales.

Participants in the logistics process within the framework of production logistics are connected by intra-production relations, i.e. the flow is not as a result of contracts, but as a result of management decisions of the enterprise's management (in contrast to the participants in the logistics process at the macro level, connected by commodity-money relations).

Intra-production logistics systems are a number of subsystems that are in relationships and connections with each other, forming a certain integrity, unity. These subsystems: purchasing, warehouses, stocks, production services, transport, information, sales and personnel ensure the entry of the material flow into the system, passing through it and exiting the system. In accordance with the concept of logistics, the construction of intra-production logistics systems should provide the possibility of constant coordination and mutual adjustment of plans and actions of supply, production and marketing links within the enterprise.

The logistical concept of the organization of production includes the following main provisions:

rejection of excess stocks;

rejection of excessive time for the performance of basic and transport and storage operations;

refusal to manufacture a series of parts for which there is no order from buyers;

elimination of equipment downtime;

obligatory elimination of marriage;

elimination of irrational intra-factory transportation;

transformation of suppliers from an opposing side into benevolent partners.

Distribution logistics

Distribution logistics - is a complex of interconnected functions, realized in the process of distribution of the material flow between various wholesale buyers, that is, in the process of wholesale of goods. The process of retail (customer service) in logistics, as a rule, is not considered.

Object of study in distribution logistics - the material flow at the stage of movement from the supplier to the consumer. Subject of study- rationalization of the process of physical movement of the product to the consumer.

Distribution logistics covers the entire range of tasks for managing material flow in the supplier-consumer section, from the moment the implementation task is set to the moment exit delivered product out of the supplier's focus. At the same time, the main specific weight is occupied by the tasks of managing material flows, which are solved in the process of promoting finished products to consumer.

The composition of the tasks of distribution logistics at the micro and macro levels is different . At the enterprise level, that is, at the micro level, logistics sets and solves the following tasks:

planning the implementation process;

organizing the receipt and processing of the order;

the choice of the type of packaging, the decision to complete, as well as the organization of other operations immediately preceding shipment; ^

organization of shipment of products;

organization of delivery and control over transportation;

organization of post-sales service.

At the macro level, the tasks of distribution logistics include:

choice of material flow distribution scheme;

determination of the optimal number of distribution centers (warehouses) in the service area;

definition optimal location the location of the distribution center (warehouse) in the service area, as well as a number of other tasks associated with managing the process of material flow through the territory of a district, region, country, etc.

The main object of research, management and optimization in logistics is the material flow.
Material flows are formed as a result of transportation, storage and other material operations with raw materials, semi-finished products and finished products, starting from the primary source, raw materials and up to the end consumer. The material flow is called goods, parts, inventory items, considered in the process of applying various logistics operations to them and related to the time interval.
Material flow - products that include various products, parts, inventory items, considered in the process of applying various technological operations to it (loading, transportation, unloading, processing, sorting, storage, etc.) and assigned to a specific time interval (Fig. 1).
Also, material flows can be defined as being in a state of motion. different kinds products (material resources, work in progress, manufactured products), to which logistical actions are applied related to physical movement in space and time (loading, unloading, processing, storage, sorting, etc.). If the product is not in a state of movement, but is in a waiting position, then it belongs to the stock.

Rice. 31. The structure of the material flow
Material resources include objects of labor: raw materials, basic and auxiliary materials, semi-finished products, components, fuel, spare parts, production waste. Work in progress - products that are unfinished by production within a given organization (enterprise), which tend to accumulate or linger in production, "adapters" (i.e. between workshops or sites). Finished products - products that have passed the full technological (production) cycle in this organization, fully equipped, handed over to the warehouse of finished products or shipped to the consumer (Fig. 2).

Rice. 2. Product status structure
The task of the logistician is to achieve the optimum values logistic flow both in the process of its movement (the optimal volume of production) and in the state of stock (the optimal volume of products in stock). The optimization of the flow in the process of movement concerns the values of costs and time (production or commercial cycle). Costs have a cost dimension, and time characterizes the duration of the production or commercial cycles. Inventory optimization involves the values of inventory levels (volume), their structure and movements (updates) of inventory.
As you move along the supply chain, the qualitative and quantitative composition of the flow changes. Initially, between the source of raw materials and the first processing plant, as well as between different industries, as a rule, mass homogeneous goods move. In the woodworking industry, this is a sawlog - logs of various types of wood. As we move forward, the material flow is increasingly transformed into various types of raw materials and products. Lumber is made from sawlogs, for example, for log cabins. The characteristics of the material flow become more diverse. At the end of the chain, the material flow is represented by various, customized, ready-to-consume goods. Within individual industries, material flows also take place. Here, various parts, blanks, semi-finished products are moved between workshops or inside workshops. And each of this subspecies of material flows has its own characteristics - time and cost.
Thus, in the course of the logistics process, the material flow begins with raw materials, and then is brought to the enterprise, where it is “magically transformed” into products as it passes through the chain of technological sections. At the end of the production process, the finished products are delivered to the consumer using vehicles and warehouse operations.
To characterize the intensity of material flows, an indicator of the dimension of the material flow is used, which is a fraction, the numerator of which indicates the unit of measurement of the cargo (pieces, tons, etc.), and the denominator is the unit of measurement of time (day, month, year, etc.). etc.): R = n:t.
The higher the indicator, the higher the intensity of the flow, which indicates a good organization of logistics.
In general, the logistics optimization of the material flow is a complex of economic and mathematical problems, as a result of which an integrated system can be created that provides an economic gain due to a qualitative change in the management of the material flow.