4. Logistics information systems

Increasingly, managing physical flows also means managing the associated information flows. That's why logistics relies on ever more sophisticated hardware and software technologies, which contribute in no small measure to its improvement .

The logistician's first request to the computer scientist was to manage stocks and supplies, the latter being done mainly by minimum and maximum thresholds.

• The first major improvement came in the 1970s with MRP (Materials Requirement Planning) software, which enabled us to take into account supply requirements, known as "dependent" requirements, in relation to demand for finished...