A Brief History of Logistics

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Logistics,as we know it today,is an essential part of every successful business.You can see its wide application in commercial,non-commercial,government,military,and other types of trades.Over time,organized storage and transportation of goods,raw materials,and products have become as important as any other aspect of business operations.However,managing the distribution of various items didn’t become what it is overnight.The history of logistics started centuries ago as an integral part of solutions to provide supplies for different military affairs and population migrations.

每個成功企業都離不開我們今天所了解的物流。物流廣泛應用于商業、非商業、政府、軍事和其他類型的交易中。隨著時間的推移，有序存儲和運輸貨物、原材料及產品變得越來越重要，其重要性不遜于商業活動中的其他環節。然而，物流的發展并不是一朝一夕的事。很多世紀以前，在各種軍事活動和人口遷移過程中，物流成為解決物資供應問題不可或缺的一環，物流史自此開始。

A history of logistics through the ages

歷代物流史

Logistics represents effective planning and distribution of products and materials from one point to another.It involves an entire chain of services with the purpose of delivering goods to various locations by different means.Besides transportation,these operations also include storage,management,and control.From the initial idea to provide supplies for warfare,logistics expanded its use in various aspects of life.Nowadays,it’s an entire industry that provides extended maneuvering capabilities you can see across multiple delivery services.

Everything we have available today that surpasses the limits of international borders and trades is because of logistics:

We can now get and provide supplies all around the world,at a fraction of once high costs;

Buy products and sell items wherever the international agreements allow us to;

Rather than researching and dealing with relocation on our own,we can use shipping for non-commercial purposes to move our entire households internationally.

物流指通過高效規劃與配送，將產品和材料從一處運輸到另一處。它涉及整條服務鏈，目的是通過各種方式將貨物運送到不同的地點。除了運輸，物流還包括存儲、管理和控制。自最初為戰爭提供補給的想法產生以來，物流的應用擴展到了生活的各個方面。如今，整個物流行業擁有廣泛的運作能力，滲透到運輸服務的方方面面。

今天，我們所擁有的一切跨越國際邊界和貿易限制的東西，都得益于物流：

我們現在可以在全球范圍內獲取和提供物資，而成本卻比以前小得多；

我們現在可以在國際協議允許的任何地方購買和銷售產品；

我們現在可以將運輸應用于非商業目的，例如通過物流跨國搬運全部家當，而不用自己調研和處理搬遷事宜。

Logistics in the ancient times

古代的物流

Probably the first application of logistics was for military purposes.Various ancient civilizations needed an efficient way to expand their influence through trading and warfare.They needed adequate methods to transport goods to distant parts of the known world.However,they were also looking for solutions to deliver weaponry and provision supplies to their conquering armies.

最初的物流可能是應用于軍事。各種古代文明都需要一種有效的方式，通過貿易和戰爭擴大其影響力。他們需要恰當的方法將貨物運送到已知世界的偏遠地區。然而，他們也在尋找各種方式來給他們的遠征軍隊提供武器和補給。

The first signs of logistics advancements

物流發展的最初跡象

One of the first signs of modern logistics that rely on systematic distribution can be seen in ancient Greeks and Romans.Alexander the Great used logistics to provide support for his impressive and long campaigns.Romans developed the first modern roads to help them connect and distribute goods for their legions to distant parts of the empire.Hannibal managed to enter Italy through the area impassable by armies,thanks to clever allocation and supply of resources.Many other empires,including Persian invaders,used calculated logistics to make it possible to move large troops across the lands.

Considering the scale of armies and the period over which warfare lasted,this is impressive.Not only were they dealing with transportation,but they were also resupplying at local areas and successfully creating depots along marching routes to help them in their campaigns.

在古希臘和古羅馬時期，運用系統分配方法的現代物流初露痕跡。亞歷山大大帝利用物流為他曠日持久的宏偉戰役提供支持。羅馬人開發了第一條現代道路，以協助他們聯絡帝國偏遠地區的軍團，并向他們分配貨物。通過巧妙的資源分配與供應手段，漢尼拔率軍從無法行軍的地區進入了意大利。眾多帝國，包括波斯侵略軍等，都通過物流上的精心籌劃，得以在陸地上調動大量軍隊。

軍隊規模如此龐大而戰爭又曠日持久，這種物流體系的建立令人稱奇。作戰方不僅解決了運輸問題，還在各地補充供應，并在行軍路線上建好了補給站，為戰役提供支持。

The Middle Ages and distribution

中世紀與物流

By the time the Middle Ages arrived,there were many routes established for the transportation of goods and armies.Countries had storage systems that were often scarce but sufficient,allowing them to store supplies from the local countryside.In general,their castles and fortresses had a dual role: to protect the regional resources and population; to ensure storage and distribution of goods between regions.

Each military division ready for deployment was carefully organized and had a set of animals and baggage carts.By the end of the Middle Ages,military logistics further improved.To increase mobility and sustainability,rolling magazines and storage depots were introduced.

到中世紀時，許多運輸貨物和軍隊的路線已經建立起來。各國的存儲系統雖然不多，但已足夠儲存來自當地農村的物資。一般來說，城堡和堡壘具有雙重作用：一是保護地方資源和人民，二是確保貨物在區域之間的存儲和分配。

每個可以調度的軍事部門都經過精心組織，配有一套馱畜和輜重運輸車輛。到中世紀末期，軍事物流進一步完善。為了提高機動性和可持續性，流動軍火庫和儲備站得以設立。

The industrial age and logistics

工業時代與物流

With the development of internal combustion engines,logistics significantly changed.The industrial age brought us steam engines that powered railroads and ships.Meanwhile,the technological advancement in transportation and communication during the 19th century expanded the use of logistics to everyday life.Now,large trading companies could transport their goods much faster and reduce their operational costs.By the beginning of the 20th century,central and western Europe and eastern parts of the United States had the most advanced railroad systems.

Unfortunately,the two large World Wars took advantage of the industrial revolution,further expanding the use of motor vehicles,communications,and naval and air means of transportation and warfare.Eventually,this revolutionized air transportation as we know it today.On the bright side,once wars were over,the entire industry shifted from combat to business.This gave us the foundation

for today’s large-scale distribution and production planning.

隨著內燃機的發展，物流發生了顯著變化。工業時代帶來的蒸汽機為火車和輪船提供了動力。與此同時，19 世紀交通和通信技術的進步將物流的應用擴展到了日常生活。此時，大型貿易公司可以大大提高運輸速度并降低運營成本。到20 世紀初，中歐、西歐以及美國東部地區都擁有了最先進的鐵路系統。

不幸的是，兩次世界大戰利用了工業革命的成果，進一步擴大了機動車輛、通信和海空運輸及作戰的運用。這最終徹底改變了我們今天所知的航空運輸。還好，戰爭一結束，整個行業就從戰爭轉向了商業。這為今天的大規模分銷和生產規劃奠定了基礎。

The advance of information technology

信息技術的進步

The development of computer systems is another technological advance that revolutionized logistics.The ability to store and track a huge amount of data provided new systems with a considerable advantage.Thanks to IT,we can now better plan,manage,and optimize every aspect of logistics,regardless of the scale of businesses.Furthermore,the Internet provides businesses with additional means to use various digital channels to understand demands better and increase productivity.This will eventually,if not already,lead to complete automation of a large percentage of tasks included in supply chain management.

In the future,we can expect that further technological advancements will additionally support the flow of commercial and non-commercial goods.This will allow us to use drones,clean energy,and different online services.Not only as a way to enhance business operations but as a means to improve our daily actions.The history of logistics has taught us that the way of development from warfare to business operations was long.However,since the advancement period is shortening as time passes,completely new market opportunities may arise soon.■

另一項徹底改變物流的技術進步是計算機信息系統。存儲和跟蹤大量數據的能力為新的物流系統提供了巨大的優勢。無論企業規模大小，我們都可以通過信息技術更好地規劃、管理和優化物流的各個方面。此外，互聯網為企業提供了其他途徑，使它們能利用各種數字渠道來更好地了解客戶需求并提高生產力。這最終將（即使不是“已經”）實現大部分供應鏈管理任務完全自動化。

可以預見，在未來，技術的發展將進一步支持商業和非商業貨物的流動。我們得以使用無人機、清潔能源和不同的在線服務；它們不僅是一種增強經營活動的方式，還是改善我們日?；顒拥氖侄?。物流史告訴我們，從戰爭轉到經營活動的發展之路是漫長的。然而，由于發展周期隨著時間的推移而縮短，全新的市場機會可能會很快出現。 □