In Module 4, you created an outline for your firm’s logistics plan.  Now in our final module, you’re going to complete and submit your full logistics plan incorporating the feedback you’ve received from your instructor throughout this course. 

Here’s what you need to do this week:

Step 1: Review the Logistics Plan requirements.

For this assignment, you will develop a logistics plan for a manufacturing firm.  Your firm’s Logistic Plan should be 9 to 11 pages in length (not including title, table of contents, and reference pages) and include the following sections:

Title page and table of contents

Introduction

Company Description – Provide an explanation of your chosen firm and its inventory

• Provide an overview of your global manufacturing firm including the following:
  • Company’s name (real or imagined)
  • Location of company headquarters
  • Location of manufacturing location
  • Location of warehouses and/or distribution centers (You must have at least one facility within a foreign country.)
  • Location (city, state, country, region) where your firm’s products are sold (Your firm must distribute finished goods to at least one international location.)

Product Characteristics

• While your firm may handle many different inventory items, for the purposes of this project, you should limit your examination to two to five-items in each of the categories below. Using the information regarding product characteristics found within the module resources (including module notes) and outside resources, provide the below components (as they relate to inventory control):
  • Product description and characteristics of raw materials utilized in the manufacture of your firm’s finished goods.
  • Product description and characteristics component parts utilized in the manufacture of your firm’s finished goods.
  • Product description and characteristics finished goods manufactured by your firm.

Outsourcing

• Provide justification for your decisions to outsource logistics requirements or to perform those requirements within your firm. You must support your decision with information that you find within the module resources.  There is no right or wrong decision if you can justify your choices with information found within resources.

Inbound Logistics

• Provide an explanation of packaging and handling considerations for the raw materials and component parts utilized in the manufacture of your firm’s products.  Consider the challenges of packaging and handling as it relates to both transportation and warehouse operations.
• Provide an examination of considerations (such as locator systems, material handling equipment, etc.) impacting inventory control decisions in warehouses utilized in your inbound logistics strategy. 
• Explain the role of warehouses that would be utilized for raw materials and component parts. 
• Examine the transportation requirements for raw materials and component parts from suppliers to place of manufacturing.  Your examination must include a justification for your decisions related to intermodal networks utilized for raw materials and component parts sourced domestically and internationally.
• Explain how government regulations would impact the transportation and storage of the raw materials and component parts used to manufacture your chosen product.

Outbound Logistics

• Provide an explanation of packaging and handling considerations for the finished products sold by your chosen firm.  Consider packaging and handling as it relates to both transportation and warehouse operations for the finished products that your firm manufactures.
• Provide an examination of considerations (such as locator systems, material handling equipment, etc.) impacting inventory control decisions in warehouses/distribution centers utilized in your outbound logistics strategy.
• Identify the number of warehouses/distribution centers that your firm will utilize in their distribution plan.  You must provide justification for your choice based on information that you find within the resources.
• Examine the transportation requirements for your firm’s finished products from the place of manufacturing to the end user.  Your examination must include a justification for your decisions related to intermodal networks utilized for finished products sold domestically and internationally.
• Explain how government regulations would impact the transportation and storage of finished products.
• Examine relevant considerations relating to transportation and distribution of finished goods internationally.

Reverse Logistics

• Explore how the following considerations would influence the reverse logistics plan for your product:
  • Government regulations
  • Packaging
  • Refurbishment
  • Returns
  • Transportation
• If any of the above considerations are not applicable to your product, you must provide an explanation (based on references) of why that component would not be applicable to your logistics plan.  For instance, if your product is such that refurbishment is not applicable to your product, please explain why your products could not be refurbished and support the explanation with referenced information.

Conclusion

• That summarizes your logistics plan.

References

• Resources that you have used to support the development of your business plan. To receive full credit, you must utilize 6 different resources, 4 of which must be scholarly. 
  • If you are unclear as to what qualifies as a scholarly resource, please reference the EC Library Guide on Evaluating Resources. (Links to an external site.)

Step 2: Review the grading rubric as well as APA requirements.

Your business plan should be double-spaced, with 1-inch margins, headings and in-text citations and references for all sources following proper APA formatting

•  (Links to an external site.)

Step 3: Submit your logistics plan!

Your document should be saved as a Word document (.doc, .docx, or .rtf) or PDF. Submit your assignment to the Turnitin dropbox below. DO NOT submit your assignment directly to Turnitin.com. See submission guidance below for additional details.

This assignment is due by 11:59 pm ET on Sunday.

This activity assesses the following module outcomes:

• M8-01: Explain best practices for inventory control in warehouse operations within inbound and outbound logistics operations. (CO2)
• M8-02: Analyze issues that may arise for an organization when executing transportation and distribution strategies. (CO1)
• M8-03: Examine how intermodal and multimodal freight network models function in transportation and distribution planning operations. (CO3)
• M8-04: Examine how government regulations impact transportation and distribution strategies. (CO6)
• M8-05: Explain the role of logistics providers within transportation and distribution operations. (CO4)
• M8-06: Examine how product packaging and handling impact transportation and distribution operations. (CO5)
• M8-07: Explain how the transportation and distribution chains facilitate the reverse logistics process. (CO1; CO4; CO5; CO6)
• MO8.8: Summarize the role of reverse logistics. (CO1, CO4)
• MO8.9: Examine the impact of logistics clusters in the global supply chain. (CO1, CO4)
• MO8.10: Identify the role of logistics clusters in achieving sustainability within the supply chain. (CO6)
• BELLOW IS THE OUTLINE