There was logistics from the beginning of economic activities in human society, but people didn’t have such understanding and written definition at that time. Since the invention and use of automobile at the end of the 18th century, the transportation industry has become more developed, promoted and promoted the development of logistics industry, from self cargo and self transportation to professional transportation, and produced a third party – professional transporter in addition to production and sales. In the early 1950s, logistics was first called “physical distribution” and “PD” in foreign countries and the distribution of goods. The Japanese translated “PD” into “material circulation” and “material circulation”, and then it was also called logistics and comprehensive logistics.
The evolution of “PD” into “logistic” is due to the successful application of “logistics” technology in the military logistics support supply system in the Second World War, creating a precedent in logistics in the military logistics supply. The English name of American logistics support is “logistic”. After the war, the world replaced “PD” with “logistic”, and China translated it as “logistics”. After the U.S. military successfully applied logistics in logistics support, it quickly transformed this achievement into industry. Western industrial developed countries used “logistic” for industry, and used English “logistic” (logistics support) as the “logistics” management of industrial production and sales. “Logistic” has become a synonym for logistics, and continued and spread all over the world. Logistics has a history of about 50 years after World War II.
With the process of industrialization and socialized division of labor and cooperation, manufacturers and businesses are the first party of logistics and consumers are the second party of logistics. Logistics service enterprises starting from transportation and warehousing have become the third party of logistics and professional logistics enterprises to provide services for production and sales enterprises and consumers, also known as 3party logistics. Logistics is a system engineering. Production enterprises, sales enterprises, consumers and logistics service enterprises are indispensable. Logistics can develop only through division of labor, cooperation and joint efforts. In order to improve the economic benefits of modern industry, industrial enterprises carry out technological innovation and strengthen management in production, so as to reduce the production cost of products. However, in modern industry, it is very difficult to carry out technological innovation, improve benefits and reduce costs from industrial production, and the room is also very small. However, in the process of circulation, reducing the logistics cost has become a topic of concern. Reducing the logistics cost by 10 percentage points will reduce the sales price of products and greatly improve the competitiveness of products. Therefore, reducing costs from production is far better than reducing costs from logistics.
Therefore, the industrial circles of developed countries are competing to study logistics, establish special logistics research institutions, develop logistics technology, and promote the development of logistics. The 1980s was the peak period of logistics development, especially in the mid-1980s. With the use of electronic technology and computers and the application of information and communication network technology in logistics, modern logistics gradually appeared in front of people. Modern logistics has developed rapidly in recent years, which has attracted great attention and may lead to a social change.