July 10, 2023

This morning we had a guest lecture on Logistics Management at Universitat Autónoma de Barcelona. The presenter gave us a crash course on logistics which was extremely beneficial for someone like me who had not taken a logistics or supply chain management class yet. The presenter provided a definition of logistics as being “the organization of moving goods from a starting location to the final destination,” which, when put in that context, made it sound so simple compared to the real-world logistics environment. He discussed that the main goals for logistics were to reduce cost, time and increase efficiency levels. He provided an example that really put things into perspective for me and said that preparing for an exam can be dealt with logistically. It is an attempt to receive the best result on the exam with the least amount of costs and in the least amount of time. He then dove into the concept of logistics management, where the objective is to plan and coordinate all the activities necessary to achieve the desired level of service and quality at the lowest possible cost. He further emphasized that the ultimate purpose of any logistics system is to satisfy the customer by establishing linkages of people at all levels in the organization directly or indirectly to the marketplace. He introduced the idea of the 7 R’s in logistics in flux, which I had subconsciously considered but had never really listed out to really examine. They are the right time, right place, the right price, right product, right quantity, right customer, and right condition. We then watched a video on logistics that emphasized the popularity of online shopping and showed the shipment of a package from procurement to the final destination while discussing possible inconveniences and uncontrollable events that may occur where the logistics industry must adapt to and find a solution. We also discussed the future of automated logistics. The video also showed the DHL distribution center and the combination of human labor, artificial intelligence, robots, and technology that increases productivity at the distribution center and the warehouses. I found the video called Inside Amazon’s Smart Warehouse very interesting and eye-opening. The company is successful because of the lightning-fast delivery times, even having the capability to deliver in under 24 hours. They described it as “a symphony of humans and machines working together.”We learned that Amazon’s website and app use deep knowledge AI to know what you’re going to buy weeks or months before you buy it, which honestly traumatized me a little bit, being an avid Amazon shopper. We also discussed the different modes of transportation along with the benefits and consequences of each of them socially, economically, and environmentally. 

Questions I asked during the lecture:

• what are your opinions on autonomous logistics? 
  • he responded with a concern about investments in automation. Big companies have the funding to make the investment but also hold more of a monopoly over the industry, such as those in the US, whereas compared to Europe, whose main companies in logistics are smaller and it’s a large investment to automate. It’s also difficult to find individuals that are professional enough to handle the new and advanced technology
• What large ports can you think of that have automated their operations and have excelled because of it?
  • He answered that the most important ports in the world are incorporating more and more automation. The most important US ports are Newark/NYC and LA. In China, it’s Hong Kong and Tianjin, and in Europe, the biggest is Rotterdam.

The place we went for lunch, called La Pepa, was funny because the manager and staff kept getting mad at us for not finishing our food even though we were all so so full. The food was so good!!! We headed back to the hotel and had a class on supply chain with Dr. G, which is always a good, fun, and educational time. We discussed lean tools and six sigma, which were essential concepts to help us look at the organizational and operational aspects of the firms and organizations we visited.

The rest of the day consisted of doing homework, and I met up with friends I met at the hostel in Malaga for dinner at a rooftop restaurant.