Supply chain management is a broad, integrating process that entails many other aspects aside from logistics. Those aspects include finding and obtaining the goods to sell, negotiating pricing, manufacturing, storage, packaging and inventory control. Supply chain management also includes distribution, cost allocation and control, third-party negotiation and collaboration as well as management of supply and demand. The broad territory covered by supply chain management is why some of these processes have splintered off into another subcategory of supply chain management known as demand planning, which, like logistics, can be viewed as a separate but related area of expertise.
The details and precise definitions for both the process of supply chain and logistics will vary from company to company and will overlap to certain degrees. By necessity, many of the duties and responsibilities inuring to logistics management will cross over into supply chain management, and vice versa. Depending on the size and specialization of a particular company, the two areas might be lumped together as one, and the same individual might manage both the supply chain and logistics. Any person seeking to become involved in either supply chain management or logistics management within a company should ensure that the parameters of his or her responsibilities are clearly defined.