lo·​gis·​tics | \ lō-ˈji-stiks How to pronounce logistics (audio) , lə-\

Definition of logistics

1 : the aspect of military science dealing with the procurement, maintenance, and transportation of military matériel, facilities, and personnel
2 : the handling of the details of an operation the logistics of a political campaign

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How are logistics and logic related?

Logistics follows the same pattern of other plural nouns—such as ballistics, linguistics, statistics, or physics—that represent fields of study and take either a singular or plural verb.

Logic, used strictly in the singular, is a science that deals with the formal principles of reason. If a visitor walks in the house with wet hair, it is logical for one to assume that it is raining outside. Logistics, which involves such concerns as the delivery of personnel or supplies in an efficient manner, can often employ logic, such as by reasoning out the path least likely to interrupt the flow of a delivery:

As with many other areas of the economy, the digital revolution is having a profound effect on delivery logistics. The combination of mobile computing, analytics, and cloud services, all of which are fueled by the Internet of Things (IoT), is changing how delivery and fulfillment companies are conducting their operations.
—Andrew Meola, Business Insider, 14 Oct. 2016

Both logic and logistics ultimately derive from the Greek logos, meaning "reason." But while logic derives directly from Greek, logistics took a longer route, first passing into French as logistique, meaning "art of calculating," and then into English from there.

Examples of logistics in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In its relentless push for e-commerce dominance, Amazon has built a huge logistics operation in recent years to get more goods to customers’ homes in less and less time. Patricia Callahan, New York Times, "The Human Cost of Amazon’s Fast, Free Shipping," 5 Sep. 2019 Ferguson, who researches supply chain management and logistics, said that local businesses will likely feel the affects of the shortage more severely, since transport companies will probably service their larger, more lucrative accounts first. Zoe Nicholson, USA TODAY, "Wanted: 60,000 drivers. What the shortages at US trucking companies means to you," 24 Aug. 2019 According to Satish Jindel, a logistics consultant, Amazon has leapfrogged its rivals to become the biggest firm in the world at organising warehousing and transport for other companies’ goods (as well as its own). The Economist, "FedEx’s visionary founder is a disrupter at risk of disruption," 15 Aug. 2019 Li, who is 44, has been running construction and logistics businesses for about 20 years, the paper reported. Anna Fifield, Washington Post, "Chinese police chief sacked after his Porsche-driving wife explodes in road rage incident," 14 Aug. 2019 There are not as many journalists on the ground to do the reporting, and many news organizations can no longer afford the budget for security and logistics that is required for that kind of work. Justin Rohrlich, Quartz, "Limited coverage of civilian deaths means Americans can’t comprehend the true cost of war," 16 July 2019 Maersk has been trying to transform expand its business from port-to-port shipping into more of an integrated logistics provider like FedEx Corp. Costas Paris, WSJ, "Big Ocean Cargo Carriers Join Blockchain Initiative," 28 May 2019 Perry is an insurance underwriter, and Ratossa is a logistics manager for a healthcare company. Shannon Dominy, ajc, "Cozy Avondale Estates cottage gets industrial makeover," 24 July 2019 Like the media companies who are pulling their content from Netflix and launching their own streaming services, FedEx appears to no longer be keen to give Amazon a valuable base on which to build a rival logistics service. Los Angeles Times, "Column: FedEx is freezing out Amazon. Let the delivery wars begin," 7 Aug. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'logistics.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of logistics

circa 1861, in the meaning defined at sense 1

History and Etymology for logistics

French logistique art of calculating, logistics, from Greek logistikē art of calculating, from feminine of logistikos of calculation, from logizein to calculate, from logos reason

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More Definitions for logistics

Financial Definition of logistics

What It Is

Logistics is the integration and management of the product value chain from suppliers to the customer.  It includes all aspects of the chain of production, including design, suppliers, financing, information, energy, transportation, distribution, and sales.

How It Works

Logistics involves the integration of the production and delivery of a product or service in order to ensure efficient and effective management.  Originally, logistics was used in the military to coordinate the delivery of soldiers and weapons to the right place at the right time.  The critical nature of the place and timing in war required special integration and precision.

Logistics consists of identifying the steps in a production value chain, ensuring just in time (JIT) delivery of the inputs for an assembly process, coordinating the flow of information, and the scheduling of delivery.   As the diagram shows, logistics manages the flow from supplier to customer in order to ensure that supply and product inventory is not accumulated or wasted. An efficient production and delivery process prevents the tying up or loss of valuable capital.

While logistics is a process used by many companies (made famous by Walmart, for example), it is used increasingly as a business model by various warehouse and distribution companies (such as UPS and Fedex).

Why It Matters

Logistics manages the flow of supplies to match the needs of the producer with the schedule of sales to customers.  Logistics coordinates the flow of information, providing feedback about sales, financing when due, and the delivery of product from various suppliers.  With the increase in global sources of suppliers as well as global consumer markets, the use of logistics to coordinate production and distribution is growing in importance.

Source: Investing Answers

logistics

noun

English Language Learners Definition of logistics

: the things that must be done to plan and organize a complicated activity or event that involves many people

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