Integrated Logistics Service Providers and optimization of overall Logistics Life-Cycle costs Author: Dr. Kamal Kishore Sharma Professor & Head of Centre for Surface and Air Transport Adani Institute of Infrastructure Management, Ahmedabad Logistics is essentially about moving commercial goods within a predetermined supply chain. It encompasses two important functions viz. transportation management & warehousing. Transportation management focuses on planning, arranging vehicle resources, optimizing routes and executing the plan to move goods between warehouses, retail locations and customers. On the other hand, warehousing deals with inventory management and order fulfillment. The transportation is often multimodal and can include movement of goods through ocean, air, rail, road and inland water. While logistics fulfils the most essential role of ensuring goods and services reach the intended customers, its management is a complex process due to a large inter-depend