Referring to the figure (and according to Coyle), -- "logistics has traditionally been responsible for managing the physical flow of products among organizations. Activities such a transportation and warehousing were used to ensure that the movement of goods was continuous and reliable. Marketing and sales have been responsible for providing information to customers before and after the transaction. Information technology has allowed logistics to take on additional responsibility for also managing information flow among organizations. Bar coding and electronic data interchange (EDI) has allowed logistics to provide information on product flows before they occur, during movement, and after delivery."
In spite of this recent growth of logistics in the commercial sector, the advent of "supply-chain management" is still limiting as it doesn't deal with systems on a total life-cycle basis. With this in mind, let me include an additional definition which has, through the years, addressed the "Integrated Logistic Support (ILS)" thrust in the defense sector. Logistics is a -- disciplined, unified, and iterative approach to the management and technical activities necessary to: (1) integrate support considerations into system and equipment design; (2) develop support requirements that are related consistently to readiness objectives, to design, and to each other; (3) acquire the required support; and (4) provide the required support during the system operational phase at minimum cost. This definition pertains to "systems" and the overall maintenance and support infrastructure shown in Figure 3. Further, past experience has indicated that it is essential to address logistics early in the system design and development process, with emphasis on the design for supportability. In other words, inherent within this definition is emphasis on the design of systems, production and distribution (to include the supply-chain management activities discussed above), system operations and sustaining maintenance and support, and system retirement -- an overall life-cycle approach.