Shipping Coconut Products : Focus On Logistics
Typically in a commercial organization, the marketing or trading group is vested with authority to commit a particular product for export citing the specific quantity, quality and time of shipment. This involves a rather complex analysis of supply and demand factors before committing to a sell decision and when done, the potential profit is defmed. It is the logistics group however that "completes the loop" or responsible for the physical delivery of the product to its final destination at competitive costs. Excellent logistics maximizes the profits. Since coconut products are generally sourced from island countries, where loading and shipping operations are subjected to tricky weather conditions or in some cases hampered by inefficient facilities and more importantly the services of complementary support groups must be well coordinated (carriers, surveyors, port authorities, etc) the logistics group is expected to handle any situation effectively. Murphy's Law "if anything can go wrong, it will" is taken to heart. The name of the game is profit. Some working principles that ensure effective cost control system include meticulous planning, thorough product knowledge (most useful in quality control) and able management of inventory control systems. What if questions are constantly addressed. Behaviorally the members of the team are cool under fire, proactive and willing to work beyond normal hours. On the other hand top management must make sure they are given enough support and latitude - as it does to the marketing group as well.