Temporary and ephemeral Logistics

Often assimilated to the management of physical flows through the intermediary of associated information flows, logistics occupies a variable place depending on the sector of activity in which it is deployed. From a purely operational role to a strategic function, the place given to logistics often depends on the overall vision of the organization, and contrasts two distinct approaches: considering flows as constraints to be managed, or considering flows as the raison d'être of the organization, which is structured around them. While these two points of view may well coexist in most sectors, there are some where logistics takes on a special character: the "temporary" industries.

Whether we're talking about events, emergency humanitarian aid or even construction projects, logistics is more than just an operational issue. It's a vital necessity if we are to successfully complete operations that are often highly time-constrained. Whether we choose to describe them as ephemeral or temporary, these logistics operations all share common characteristics, based on the need to integrate them into an emergency situation, and to manage a performance that must be immediate.

As many logisticians in these sectors recognize, logistics is a shadowy function that only comes to light when it fails. Indeed, when we take part in events such as sports tournaments, it's hard to see the logistics people working in the background. And yet, they are very much present, making sure that water is supplied, food stocks are managed, participants are welcomed, and so on. The same is true of an emergency humanitarian operation, where people are far more likely to talk about a one-off shortage of products than to congratulate the logistics teams who manage to transport thousands of tons of foodstuffs and equipment into chaotic terrain.

The aim of this article is not to pit traditional logistics and temporary logistics against each other, by assuming the superiority of one over the other, but rather to question the specific features of these highly time-constrained logistics, and to observe the organizational and strategic responses deployed. Indeed, while traditional logistics has provided temporary logistics with many of the tools and methods widely deployed today (adoption of MRP (Material Requirements Planning) in the construction industry, use of Lean principles in the events industry, etc.), the opposite relationship also seems to exist. The strong propensity of industrial and service players to reduce their cycle times, to offer more and faster innovations, or to increasingly adopt "project modes", leads us to question the place of logistics in these organizations, drawing inspiration from what is done in industries that operate "by nature" on a project basis....