In essence, logistics information system is a channel connecting various logistics activities and an integrated process. The integration process should be based on four functional levels: transaction, management control, decision analysis and strategic planning system.
The first layer is the trading system, including recording the ordering contents, arranging inventory tasks, selecting operation processes, loading, transportation, distribution, delivery, invoicing, customer inquiry, etc. The trading system is characterized by regular format, interactive communication, batch trading and programmed operation. The combination of structured processes and large-scale transactions mainly emphasizes the efficiency of information systems. The management control, decision analysis and strategic planning of logistics information management system need to be based on a strong trading system.
The second level is management control, which needs to pay attention to functional measurement and reporting. Functional measurement is necessary to provide management feedback on service level and resource utilization. Therefore, management control includes evaluating past functions and determining various alternatives. When the logistics information system needs to report the past functions of the logistics system, it is also very important whether the logistics information system can identify the abnormal situation in its processing.
The third level is decision analysis, which focuses on the application of decision-making to help managers identify, evaluate and compare logistics strategies and strategic alternatives. The difference between decision analysis and management control is that the main focus of decision analysis is to evaluate the alternatives of future strategy, which requires relative flexibility in order to make a wide range of choices. Therefore, users need to have more professional knowledge and training to use it. Because the application of decision analysis is less than transaction, the decision analysis of logistics information system tends to emphasize effectiveness rather than efficiency.
The last level is to make a strategic plan, focusing on information support, so as to formulate and improve the logistics strategy. This kind of decision-making is often an extension of decision-making analysis, but it is usually more abstract and loose, and more focused on the long-term.
(B) the composition of logistics information system
Logistics information system itself is also a system, with the general characteristics of the system. Information system is the internal nervous system of an enterprise or an organization, which plays an overall role. The purpose is that the ultimate goal of information system is to provide information support for management decision-making; The information system can be decomposed, and the information system of the whole organization can be decomposed into several subsystems, and each subsystem can be divided into several modules ... to show the hierarchical structure of the system; There are various connections among the components of the system, which reflects their relevance; Because the information system ultimately serves for management and decision-making, and management and decision-making depend on changes in all aspects of enterprises or organizations and changes in the external environment, changes in the environment will inevitably lead to changes in the information system. Therefore, a good information system should have good environmental adaptability.
In the design of logistics information system, we can use the principle of "top-down" to decompose the system into several subsystems, and then decompose and optimize these subsystems step by step to make them clear in structure, clear in function and easy to realize. To put it simply, a logistics information system generally consists of the following subsystems, each of which has its own unique functions:
Management subsystem: provides functions unrelated to specific business, but needed by the system;
Purchasing subsystem: the function of providing raw material purchasing information;
Warehouse management system: use the warehouse management system to manage the receiving, sending, sorting, placing, supplementing and distributing of warehouse business.
Send, etc. At the same time, the warehouse management system can carry out inventory analysis and financial system integration;
Inventory subsystem: the function of providing inventory management information;
Production subsystem: the function of providing production product information;
Sales subsystem: the function of providing product sales information;
Distribution subsystem: refers to operating systems such as dispatching plan, volume loading plan, distribution itinerary plan, etc., which are drawn up according to various factors such as the weight and volume of goods after being classified according to the distribution type of goods;
Transportation subsystem: the function of providing product transportation information;
Financial subsystem: the function of providing financial management information;
Decision Support Subsystem: Make Logistics Information System by going up one flight of stairs.
The above is only the framework division of logistics information system functions, and the relationship between important subsystems is not clear. For example, inventory subsystem is closely related to purchasing subsystem and production subsystem, and so on. In the structure of logistics information system, the information flow and data interface between subsystems (including the definition of communication protocol and data standard) should be determined to meet the communication requirements of data exchange between subsystems.
For enterprises, when implementing logistics information system, they should plan and design a unique logistics information system architecture according to their own industry characteristics and their own logistics business processes. In architecture design, the following principles should be followed:
1. It has the characteristics of openness, modularity and adaptability.
2. Meet the data exchange between systems, and the method of data exchange must ensure the integrity and security of data.
Sex;
3. Data exchange only needs common data definition, information format and communication protocol. This can ensure the interoperability of independent systems developed by different departments;
4. It is compatible with existing systems and updated communication technologies;
5. Compatible with existing technologies and developed systems as far as possible;
6. In terms of logistics information technology, let enterprises have a wide range of choices in the highly competitive market.
The systematization of enterprise logistics management information is mainly reflected in the following points:
1. Inventory management: If the logistics management information system is implemented in the process of packaging, disassembling and allocating goods in the warehouse, the data such as inventory quantity, outbound quantity, inbound quantity and inbound balance quantity can be accurately grasped, and the forecast management of logistics order information can be realized.
2. Manage the transportation process. In the process of enterprise transportation, logistics information management can be implemented in the four links of order taking management, delivery management, arrival management, receipt management and document management, such as waybill management, customs declaration management, combined bill of lading management, ocean bill of lading management, etc., which greatly improves service efficiency and can solve the problems of enterprise cargo stowage, vehicle scheduling and vehicle returning to empty space in time.
3. Monitor the whole logistics process. Centralized management of business process, charge management of each link, responsibility management of each link, settlement management of each link, cost management of each link, transportation management, warehousing management, statistical report system, etc. The acquisition of these logistics process data is conducive to the specific statistics and analysis of each link, thus systematically guiding the current enterprise operation and facilitating scientific overall planning and reasonable arrangement and deployment.
4. Monitor logistics costs. In logistics business management, a series of cost-related data are often produced, which can be connected with the data of professional financial system, which is conducive to monitoring the whole process of logistics cost and achieving the purpose of reducing expenses and saving expenses.
5. Realize information sharing between customers and logistics enterprises. Logistics distribution of goods, transit transportation of goods-real-time tracking of goods, inventory of goods, balance of goods, damage of goods, receipt of goods, etc. , is often the most concerned content of customers. If logistics information management is implemented, it will be convenient for customers to inquire at any time, thus improving the quality of logistics service and enhancing its credibility in customers' hearts.