What are the key activities in logistics?

The key activities in logistics primarily revolve around the movement, storage, and processing of goods and materials. These activities are critical in ensuring that products are delivered to the right place at the right time while maintaining efficiency in costs and resources.

Movement involves the physical transportation of goods from one location to another, which can include various modes of transport such as trucking, shipping, and air freight. Storage pertains to how goods are held throughout the supply chain, encompassing warehousing and inventory management. Processing includes activities such as sorting, packaging, and handling goods to prepare them for final delivery to customers.

While the other activities listed, like managing customer payments and elements of returns, reuse, and recycling, are important aspects of a broader supply chain or customer relationship management, they are not central to the fundamental logistical functions. The core focus of logistics is primarily about effectively handling the flow and storage of goods, which makes movement, storage, and processing the pivotal elements in logistics operations.