Trade & Supply Chain
Logistics
The logistics model should translate the customer promise into inventory, transport, warehouse and information requirements. Management needs visibility over handoffs, service levels, total cost, capacity and exception ownership before growth makes the network difficult to change.
Designing Logistics Around the Customer Promise
01
Define the service requirement
Set the destinations, order profile, delivery time, product handling, visibility and return expectations. Providers should be compared against the same operating requirement.
Service brief: Orders / Destinations / Lead time / Handling / Returns
02
Map every operational handoff
Record who controls goods and data from order release through delivery. Each handoff needs an owner, required document and escalation route.
Flow map: Order / Pickup / Transport / Warehouse / Delivery
From Order Flow to Delivery Control
03
Measure total network cost
Combine freight, handling, storage, inventory, packaging, systems, claims and management effort. A low rate can be expensive when service failures and stock are included.
Cost view: Transport / Storage / Inventory / Claims / Overhead
04
Prepare for disruption
Identify capacity constraints, critical providers, alternative routes, data dependencies and customer communication. Recovery actions should be agreed before a disruption occurs.
Resilience record: Constraint / Alternative / Trigger / Owner / Customer action
Network Decisions Before Volume Scales
Guide
Guidance on service design, transport, warehousing, inventory, handoffs, provider management, delivery visibility and exception control.
Comparison
Comparisons of transport, warehouse and fulfilment models across service, total cost, control, capacity and flexibility.
Review
Reviews of lead time, network cost, provider performance, inventory exposure, claims, system handoffs and resilience.
FAQ
Answers to management questions on routes, providers, warehouses, delivery performance, stock, returns, claims and disruption.
Resources
Service briefs, flow maps, operating procedures, provider records, scorecards and exception logs.
Tool
Tools for network comparison, total-cost analysis, service measurement, capacity planning and disruption response.
Case
Examples of how companies redesigned China logistics around customer requirements, cost visibility and operating control.
News
Developments affecting transport capacity, warehousing, delivery networks and supply-chain operating assumptions.
How to Use the China Logistics Hub
Use Guide to frame the work, Comparison and Review to test alternatives and risk, and FAQ and Resources to prepare the working file. Tool and Case support the management recommendation; News confirms whether the underlying assumptions remain current.
Management should approve the service requirement, network ownership, cost model and resilience triggers before volume scales. Provider reviews should use agreed performance data and close recurring exceptions through named corrective actions.