Describe how the concept of a supply chain has evolved over time

Modern approaches to logistics see the supply of the resources as a channel from the entry point, perhaps raw material, to the consumer via finished goods. It acts as a pipeline supplying goods to all the logistic elements in a single link. This is called the Supply Chain.

Origins of the Supply Chain

The supply chain, in its current form, can be traced back to the early 1950s but before that there is evidence of supply chains from the perspective of the military. Warriors and leaders such as Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar and Hannibal, to name but a few,utilised supply chains during their time in order to supply and sustain their massive troop movements. It was not until later, when man joined groups and these groups became larger when men started to specialise in skills of providing provisions and creating weapons when logistics organisation became into being.

The word Logistics itself is derived from potentially two sources. The Greek logistokos, meaning skilled in calculating. Other sources claim that logistics comes from the ancient Greek word logos which is translated to mean introduction, word, calculation, reason, speech, and oration. There is also the French word logistique from the word loger meaning to lodge’.