Global Logistics and SCM Article

Logistics and Supply Chain Management (SCM) have evolved from a narrow military discipline concerned with the movement of troops and materiel into a wide-ranging managerial field that coordinates the flow of goods, information, and finance from raw-material sourcing to final consumption. This article synthesises core concepts in global logistics and SCM, including the historical evolution of the discipline, the drivers reshaping it in the twenty-first century, the levels and layers of logistics planning, the total logistics concept, warehouse management, and the centrality of customer service. Conceptual discussion is illustrated throughout with practical cases drawn from Cameroon (including the Port Autonome de Douala and Cameroonian agro-export cooperatives), from other African contexts (including the African Continental Free Trade Area, Kenya's flower export industry, and Nigerian logistics start-ups), and from global exemplars such as Toyota, Amazon, Apple, and Maersk. The article concludes that sustained competitiveness in logistics and SCM depends on integrating physical and information flows across all functions, and on the twin future imperatives of digital transformation and sustainability.