Supply Chain · Logistics · Component
The network
Where things are stored and moved, and how far that is from demand — the design that sets the cost floor.
The deliverable
What it is
Network design determines most logistics cost before any individual shipment is booked, and it is usually inherited rather than chosen.
The trade-off is between few large nodes, which are cheaper to run, and many small ones, which are closer to demand and faster to serve from.
One level in
What it is made of
Each element is a constituent part of the component. Follow one to see the attributes it carries.
The nodes
Each location where goods are held or handled.
3 attributes: Node · Node type · Fixed cost
LearnThe routes
How goods move between nodes and to customers.
3 attributes: Route · Mode · Transit time
LearnThe distance to demand
How far stock sits from where it is needed.
3 attributes: Distance · Demand covered · Demand data from
Learn
Network design is usually inherited. It sets the cost floor before any individual shipment is booked.
The other components in logistics
The lead time record
Actual times with their spread rather than the quoted average — because variability is what costs money.
LearnThe cost per movement
What it costs to move a unit, by mode and by leg, including the handling that does not appear on a freight invoice.
Learn