For many years, procurement, materials management and logistics were regarded as the responsibility of either operations or marketing departments. The late 1980s saw the shift in focus to supply management, and later to supply chain management. Since the early 1990s, the field has become increasingly important to firms as the marketplace has become more and more competitive. Strategic logistics management takes a systematic approach to managing the entire flow of materials, information, services and finance from raw materials suppliers through factories and warehousing, to the end user.

Strategic logistics management covers the operational and strategic aspects of all the components of logistics from a supply chain management perspective. It focuses on the integration of all business processes that add value to the customer. The book has been divided into five sections for easy access, with the final one focusing on case studies. Terminology is clearly explained and the main points are illustrated with many practical examples. A new chapter on humanitarian logistics has been provided.

Contents include the following:

• The procurement process
• The use of contracts
• Warehouse design and layout
• Inventory and inventory management
• Reverse logistics
• Transport
• Customer service
• Alignment of supply and demand
• Global distribution strategies
• Humanitarian logistics

Strategic logistics management is aimed at undergraduate studies as well as graduate programmes. It is the only case study-based South African textbook in this field.