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Ershad Khandker
Logistics by definition is a term that evokes respect in the minds of people planning the run time efficiency of any unit or organisation, of whatever origin that organisation may be. The management of a company knows that, it is the people who look after the movement of goods and men and toil hard and fast to keep the organisation running smoothly. However, the complaint of many people in the logistics industry that the entrepreneurs and management do not give enough credence to the need for doing more for the logistics department appears to be true. The need for giving them training, management position, good benefits that mirror their importance for an organisation and above all, respect for the work they do are very much ignored. Outside the organisation, manufacturing units import and export goods worth billions of takas daily. While the term logistics has assumed even greater importance in a world economy that has become globalised and connects different offices in different parts of the world in a single strain of supply chain requiring a gargantuan management effort to keep the offices functioning.
There is good news for the logistics companies abroad simply because of the nature of their business. As the globalised economy increases in size by natural cycle, the logistics companies get more business. America is doing well; France, Germany and Japan can only do better than their current growth rate. And in other regional theatres, analysts see good days ahead, with Middle East working vigorously to modernise, and Asia doing the same, and even Africa working hard to bring peace and hopefully prosperity in the not too distant future. Logistics companies are in a good business indeed if they work to modernise and keep pace with the innovative and ever improving service standard their future is rosy.
In Bangladesh, the scenario is one of very slow growth rate. One must remember that besides RMG, Bangladesh does not have a single sector that could be considered big enough to necessitate the need for a massive investment in the logistics industry. After all the logistic companies do generally respond to the need of the market. And just like the global market, the logistics industry would see growth in the standard and variety of their service only when the economy has the need for many thousands of trucks, and vans and trailers and refrigerated moving vans and other tools used by the logistics industry. We still make do with the Cargo village in Zia, Chittagong port is slow at best with ships lying in outer anchorage for days and taking three days for stuffing and unstuffing. Its like, there is no need for an urgent improvement. Roads are few and in bad condition. There are restrictions on the movement of vehicle. Anyway, whatever problems there are, if our entrepreneurs create more heavy manufacturing industry or the public sector suddenly triples in size, the supply chain management need of the economy would naturally grow. The foreign and local logistics companies would surely make necessary readjustment to their capacities and capabilities. Even as things stand, the local logistics companies are giving adequate service to their clients, for internal movement of goods and material. While the foreign companies are going one step further by investing millions in sophisticated technologies . These companies give yeomen's service to the economy by bringing goods from abroad and ferrying export to destination thereby ensuring the smooth function of the national economy itself. They earn foreign currency for the services rendered and create employment and train manpower for the future needs of the industry. We should be thankful for their efforts and recognise the contribution of the logistics industry to the national economy.
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