Abstract

In the age of global expansion of business operations and contemporary way of life the material and information flows in and between different companies are growing rapidly they are thus becoming more and more difficult to manage. Had business functions in companies been dealt with separately until now (purchase, production, finances, sale, etc.), today the emphasis is placed on their integration due to their interdependence. By studying supply chains inside and between business partners, companies can gain competitive advantage and become more adjustable, taking the increasingly changing market circumstances into account. This enables them to meet consumers' demands and expectations requisitely holistically. Taking all the crucial activities into account, the logistics management plays a key role in the companies facing the challenges of the new millennium. Based on the numerous megatrends, which influence each and every business entity, this article aims to explain the increasing strategic importance of logistics management. The latter may not be dealt with one-sidedly as a cost moreover, the key aspects such as competitiveness as well as long-term existence of a company must also be considered. Innovation and systemic thinking in it and about it are needed. Doba globalne ekspanzije poslovanja in sodobnega načina življenja povzroča hitro in vedno težje obvladljivo rast blagovnih in informacijskih tokov v podjetjih in med njimi. Če smo nekdaj obravnavali poslovne funkcije v podjetju (nabavo, proizvodnjo, finance, prodajo …) ločeno, se danes stroka vse bolj posveča njihovemu povezovanju zaradi soodvisnosti. Proučevanje oskrbnih verig v podjetju in med poslovnimi partnerji daje podjetju možnosti, da postane bolj konkurenčno in bolj prilagodljivo, glede na vedno hitrejše spreminjanje tržnih razmer. To pomeni čimbolj celovito zadovoljevanje odjemalčevih zahtev oz. pričakovanj. Pri spletu teh aktivnosti ima ključno vlogo menedžment logistike kot odgovor in strategija podjetij, pripravljenih na izzive 21. stoletja. V članku smo želeli pokazati, kako se na številne t.i. megatrende8, ki vedno bolj vplivajo na poslovanje slehernega gospodarskega subjekta, povečuje strateški pomen menedžmenta logistike. Slednje ne smemo enostransko obravnavati kot strošek, ampak celoviteje, tj. kot ključni vir konkurenčnosti in dolgoročnega obstoja podjetja. Pospeševati moramo inoviranje in sistemsko razmišljanje o in v njej.