Logistics/Supply chain
As the world becomes more interconnected, there’s an increasing need for companies to flexibly plan, execute, and reconfigure the processes, methods, and means of moving raw materials, works in process, finished goods, people, animals, packages, and other cargo from one place to another. In the United States, companies like Frito-Lay and Coca-Cola have built competitive differentiation into their direct-to-store delivery systems, which helps them ensure prime placement and shelf space in stores. In the 70s and 80s, direct-to-store delivery systems were augmented with descriptive analytics; at the time, they were considered quite complex and advanced.
Today, the bounds of this technology have been extended and refined considerably, with companies like FedEx and UPS demonstrating on a daily basis the sophistication of logistics operations. These systems have taken logistics to an entirely new level. Instead of making deliveries to a handful of stores...