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Around 2700 B.C.:
Material handling technology in pyramid construction. Blocks of stone weighing several tons were transported and assembled at the construction site.
To build the Great Pyramid of Giza, which is 146 meters high and weighs 6 million tons, the Egyptians needed sophisticated material transport equipment capable of moving the massive building blocks and putting them into place. Even today, we still cannot fully explain how this level of precision was achieved using the hoisting equipment and means of transport available around 2700 B.C [1].
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Around 300 B.C.:
Revolutionary Greek rowing vessels – the new foundation of intercontinental trade.
The revolutionary invention of rowing vessels created the basis for rapid travel across the high seas. This invention formed the foundation for the creation of enormous logistics supply systems required by mobile army camps. Using these logistics capacities, Alexander the Great undertook campaigns with his troops, their families and their weapons of war that extended all the way to India [1].
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Around A.D. 700:
Procurement logistics in the construction of the Mezquita Mosque – pillars came to Spain from all parts of the Islamic empire.
Construction of the famous Mezquita Mosque in Cordoba, Spain, began in 756 under the Caliph of Cordoba in the Umayyad dynasty. It is considered to be the largest mosque in Europe. Extraordinary procurement logistics was required to transport the pillars of the mosque from all parts of the Islamic empire [1].
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Around 1200:
The international network known as the Hanseatic League – cooperation for transport bundling and international sea transport.
In 1188, the city of Hamburg, Germany, was founded as a base on the North Sea for the Hanseatic League to make travel on the sea more secure and to represent business interests abroad. Up to 200,000 fur pelts were transported by a single Hanseatic cog ship. Hanseatic trade extended from the Black Sea to Reval. From a modern-day vantage point, the league’s cross-border trade bears strong similarities to the European Union [1].
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Around 1500:
Progressive postal service in Europe – the first time-definite mail shipping service.
Under an agreement with Philipp of Burgundy, Franz von Taxis organized the first postal service with strictly defined transit times. Letters were delivered to places such as Paris, Ghent, Spain and the imperial court of Vienna. In view of the infrastructure of the times and the political fragmentation created by the array of small principalities, the mail reached its destination with very little delay [1].
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Around 1800:
Discovery of new road conveyances and the railroad –
expansion of logistics tasks through new technologies and means of transport.
The practical use of the steam engine, the invention of vehicles, railroads and ships as well as the discovery of crude oil ushered in a new economic era that generated new missions, tools and opportunities for logistics [1].
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Around 1940:
Military logistics during the world wars – transfer of military logistics concepts to the business world.
During World War I, military logistics was the vital link in the network that supplied troops with rations, weapons and equipment. With the onset of World War II, logistics was further refined. As a result, logistics gained an important place in the business world as well.
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1956: Invention of the sea container – structural evolution of world trade and the boom of international flows of goods.
The invention of the sea container by the American Malcom P. McLean changed production conditions for nearly all industries around the world and, as a result, altered people’s consumption habits. Even today, the sea container continues to ensure that harbors gain major contracts, new countries and regions experience commercial booms, markets arise and products from all parts of the world can be bought and sold at reasonable prices. In this way, the container has significantly contributed to globalization.
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Around 1970 – 1980:
Kanban and just-in-time – logistics concepts with a special emphasis on procurement.
The Kanban and just-in-time (JIT) concepts were developed and introduced at Japan’s Toyota Motor Co. by Taiichi Ohno – with the objective of effectively linking logistics to other operational functions. Special emphasis was placed on procurement.
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Around 1990:
QR and ECR technologies – logistics concepts with a special emphasis on distribution.
The quick response and efficient consumer response (ECR) technologies were developed during the 1990s and applied by many retail and wholesale companies. These technologies had a major impact on logistics. As a result of this technology, distribution centers are tasked with moving goods instead of storing them. This allows companies to accelerate reaction times to market developments and to set up efficient goods-supply systems.
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Today:
Supply chain management – a look at the entire logistics chain from the vendor’s supplier to the end customer.
Supply chain management is a term that has grown enormously in use and significance since the late 1980s. Today, supply chain management is viewed as a holistic consideration of key business processes that extend from the vendor’s supplier to the end user. Accordingly, supply chain management is an extremely interactive, complex system requiring simultaneous monitoring of many conflicting objectives.
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Today:
Advancing globalization – efficient logistics as a competitive edge in the era of globalization.
Global competition began to arise and spread in the 1970s and accelerated in the 1990s. Globalization is still moving forward today. Efficient logistics creates a crucial competitive edge for companies that are expanding in global markets. Successful logistics efforts in international supply chains can fuel the development of global markets.
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