Logistics in Everyday Life

Logistics in Everyday Life

Terrance Dwayne Turner

EN2010 English Composition II (ONL39d)

Professor Price

March 11, 2012

Logistics in Everyday Life

My job with the US Air Force is Logistics and defined as the science of the movement, supplying, and maintenance of military forces in the field. Also, they define it as military science and operations dealing with the procurement, maintenance of equipment, with the movement, evacuation, and hospitalization of personnel, with the provision of facilities and services, and with related matters. Non-military Logistics is defined as the science of planning, organizing and managing activities that provide goods or services. How do logistics play a part in our everyday lives? Logistics plays a major part in our daily lives. We procure things, we plan our day, we transport our kids to and from places, and we also coordinate and manage family activities day by day.

Bramlett (2011) stated in his blog that, "In everyday life, you have logistics challenges and well beyond the dentist office. Don't you certainly run your own small Wal-Mart at home? You have to ensure you have the proper inventory in the proper place at the right time. You have to coordinate multiple suppliers to ensure you have the daily essentials to run and satisfy the household. So, the next time you hear the word logistics, reflect on what you do everyday and then think about the professionals that deal with inventory, transportation, buying, scheduling and getting it all done just in time. Just make sure you don't run out of toilet paper!"(para.5). The trucks you see on the road, to the parent you see in any market; their processes are logistical. Supply, transportation, and procurement are the three words that feed my spirit when I think of how we survive in this world day to day.

When I see a parent that takes care of his/her household every day, it takes some planning and coordinating to keep the family happy. Logistics in everyday life is all about directing, planning, managing and coordinating our futures. Kloppe (2010) quoted "Logistics is not only key in our everyday lives but it is imperative in emergency situations" (p.4). We cannot do anything in our daily lives that logistics is not involved in.

Look at how we receive most of our products/goods; by train, truck, rail, sea, and aircraft. Transportation to me is the key to getting our comfort items in our hands. If there was no means to transport, how would we get these items that we need to survive? I've moved millions of tons of equipment and goods around the world in the past 15 years, and I think on how those products could have made it there if there wasn't any transportation. Evans and Maloney (2008) said, "Transport and logistics is essential to life as we know it. It's the movement, storage, handling, and delivery of goods. It's the bus, rail and ferry networks and taxis that get us where we need to be" (p.1). Even though we use logistics in our everyday lives, it still takes continuous logistical processes and other people/companies to get us the products we need.

No matter where you travel, you will see processes ongoing to get us and others the possessions that we require to operate from day to day. Newer manufacturing companies are starting to use old facilities in urban areas starting up more distribution centers to get their products to consumers more efficiently. By doing this, companies are creating more jobs in those areas that need it, and products are reaching