A single shipment delay rarely stays a shipping problem for long — it ripples into production schedules, customer commitments, and ultimately cost. That ripple effect is why logistics has grown, over the past two decades, from a back-office function into one of the most closely watched parts of any organisation. This course from the Arab British Fellowship Training Academy looks at logistics through that lens: not as a definition to memorise, but as a set of decisions — over transport, storage, procurement, and supply — that directly affects whether a business runs efficiently or bleeds money.

Participants examine how logistics functions have expanded to cover supply chains, procurement, and warehousing together, and why private logistics companies now offer transport, storage, and procurement management as bundled services. Per the Logistics Performance Index, building solid training in logistics and supply chain management remains one of the sector's top priorities — a signal of just how central this function has become to global trade.

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

• Explain the role logistics companies play in keeping raw materials, human resources, and both fixed and moving assets flowing efficiently.
• Describe logistics-related job functions and how they interact across the business.
• Apply the principles of distribution management and supply chain coordination.
• Connect logistics activity to a company's financial performance, and explain the relationship between customer service and logistics quality.
• Assess a logistics operation's capacity to absorb and manage production volume effectively.

Who should attend:

• Procurement and warehouse managers.
• Logistics company managers, executive coordinators, and material managers.
• Warehouse supervisors and distribution managers.
• Investors, administrators, and capital holders entering the logistics sector.
• Anyone seeking a solid foundation in trade and logistics, including international trade between companies.

Module 1: Why Logistics Services Matter

• The importance and objectives behind logistics as a business function, and why enterprises developed a dedicated logistics function in the first place.
• What is meant by office (desktop) logistics as opposed to field logistics operations.

Module 2: Core Concepts and Types of Logistics

• Defining logistics and the basics every practitioner should know, along with the main types of logistics work.
• How logistics services management connects directly to a company's growth and development.

Module 3: The Cost Side of Logistics

• Breaking down the total cost of logistics activities: transportation cost, the effect of product characteristics on shipping cost, customer service cost, inventory holding cost, and warehousing cost.

Module 4: Outsourcing Decisions — When to Use a Third-Party Logistics Provider (3PL)

• The business case for outsourcing logistics activities to a 3PL, and its impact on cost reduction, profitability, and customer service.

Module 5: Managing Materials and Inventory

• An overview of materials and inventory management, why materials management matters, and the regulatory procedures and reporting that keep inventory under control.
• Planning, controlling, and effectively managing materials on an ongoing basis.

Module 6: Warehousing in Practice

• Why organisations store goods, the types of warehouses available, and how to choose a warehouse location — including the trade-off between centralised and decentralised storage.
• Classification and coding systems, receiving, inspection and dispatch procedures, internal warehouse layout, and ongoing inventory control.

Module 7: Supply Chains and Risk

• How supply chain management ties logistics activities together end to end, and why risk management is a core part of a company's operating system.