Logistics & Supply Chain Management
Value creation, adaptability, and sustainability across multi-echelon networks. Covers Fisher strategic fit, deterministic EOQ/EPQ, stochastic safety stocks, warehouse workflows, and 2023–2025 solved examinations.
High-Impact Revision Blitz & Acronym Directory
Curated specifically for pre-examination triage. Review the 20 foundational supply chain acronyms, the 4 high-frequency exam traps, and the core structural frameworks guaranteed to secure full marks.
20 Essential SCM Acronyms
APICS diagnostic framework spanning 6 Level-1 processes: Plan, Source, Make, Deliver, Return, Enable.
VICS 9-step inter-enterprise information-sharing process to damp the Bullwhip Effect.
Monthly executive consensus process balancing unconstrained demand with factory supply capacity.
Granular weekly/daily tactical cadence resolving immediate SKU disruptions.
Batch size minimizing total annual holding and setup ordering costs under deterministic demand.
Lot size when goods are produced internally and consumed simultaneously at rates p and d.
Inventory inventory level threshold triggering a replenishment order: ROP = Expected Lead Time Demand + Safety Stock.
The probability that all customer demand during replenishment lead time will be satisfied from inventory.
EDI 856 digital transmission notifying receiving docks of inbound trailer contents prior to physical arrival.
Computer-to-computer exchange of standard business transaction documents.
Mechanical gear (forklifts, reach trucks, conveyors, AGVs) facilitating warehouse movement.
High-density, crane-driven computer-controlled racking achieving up to 45m vertical space usage.
Aisle geometries <1.8m operated by guided turret trucks to maximize pallet storage density.
Enterprise software directing dock appointments, put-away algorithms, and wave picking routing.
Software optimizing multi-stop carrier routing, mode selection, and freight rate auditing.
External service provider owning physical trucks and warehouses to execute logistics contracts.
Non-asset-owning supply chain integrator that manages multiple 3PL providers through a control tower.
11 standardized contractual definitions published by the ICC governing global trade risk and freight.
Departure term placing minimum obligation on seller; buyer assumes all freight, export, and risk.
Arrival term placing maximum obligation on seller, including freight, risk, import duty, and delivery to dock.
High-Frequency Exam Hall Traps & Mistakes to Avoid
Students frequently write that under CIF the seller is responsible for goods lost at sea because they paid the shipping freight. WRONG! In CIF, cost and risk decouple: seller pays freight to destination, but risk transfers to the buyer the moment cargo crosses the ship's rail at origin.
In EOQ numericals, if holding cost is given as 20%, do NOT plug 0.20 directly into $\sqrt{2DS/H}$. You must multiply $i \times C$ to get the unit rupee carrying cost $H = 0.20 \times 250 = \text{₹}50$.
A 3PL is an asset-based operational provider that moves or stores goods (trucks, godowns). A 4PL is a non-asset-based management consultant / digital integrator that oversees multiple 3PLs on behalf of the client.
When lead time is constant, safety stock is $SS = Z \cdot \sigma_d \sqrt{L}$. Students frequently forget the square root over L and multiply directly by L, artificially inflating safety buffers by a factor of 3 to 5.