I’d like to read a business best seller on people how have changed the face of logistics. Unfortunately, such a book does not exist. But what does exist is the Logistics Hall of Fame. So, at least we know who should be written about if a book is ever published on this topic. And if you read German – this organization is based in Germany – they produce a magazine each year with a detailed story on that year’s winner.
Some of the inductees are well known and make perfect sense:
Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon, the company with the most innovative supply chain in the world. Or Frederick Smith, the founder of FedEx and driving force behind express logistics becoming a big business.
Taiichi Ohno from Toyota, the inventory of Kanban and just-in-time supply chain, is a name I knew, but which was not top of mind. Today the concepts of lean, particularly from a continuous improvement perspective, are embraced by almost every major logistics service provider.
In other cases, the names are well known, but you would not immediately associate the names with greatness in logistics. Henry Ford and Gottleib Daimler are examples. Gottleib Daimler, they claim, invented the truck. Henry Ford, through his invention of the assembly line, insured that transportation equipment would be much more affordable and drove down prices.
There are also inventors/pioneers I would have added to the list of things that transformed logistics, but I didn’t know their names. Examples include:
- `The bar code: Norman Joseph Woodland, George Laurer, and Bernard Silver
- The modern intermodal shipping container: Malcom McLean
- The fork lift: Eugene Clark
But I must admit, this list contained several names I would not put on my list of greats. I’m sure much of my writing must appear to be heavily tinged with a North American point of view; similarly, their list appeared to be Eurocentric.
And the list was missing people and inventions that would be on my list. For example, George Laurer is generally credited with inventing the Universal Product Code (UPC) in 1973.
Sanjiv Sidhu and Ken Sharma, cofounders of i2Technologies. This software company revolutionized supply chain planning. Similarly, Mitch Wesley, now the CEO at 3Gtms, is generally seen as the father of the transportation management system market.
And their list includes scholars I’ve never heard of. But perhaps the best known concept in supply chain management is the Bullwhip Effect; the idea that there are increasing swings in inventory in response to shifts in customer demand as one moves further up the supply chain. I thought Hau Lee was the father of this concept. Wikipedia says that the concept first appeared in Jay Forrester’s book Industrial Dynamics.
Who would you nominate to the Logistics Hall of Fame? You can share your thoughts here.
Hi Steve,
Thank You, for the post, you and your readers may be interested to hear that here at the Global Institute of Logistics. we have kept a ‘Hall of Fame’ since our establishment 15 years ago.
In that time we have inducted a number of legends of the Industry, for instance.
1) Robert (Bob) V Delaney (2004)
BOB DELANEY THOUGHT THE WORLD HOW TO MEASURE THE COST OF LOGISTICS
Bob, the Institute’s founding Chairman, was known as the “Number’s Man” as a result of establishing a system for calculating the cost of logistics as a percentage of national GDP in the US.This methodology has been the foundation for the industry-leading report in the US logistics sector ‘The Annual State of Logistics Report’, which Bob authored assisted by Roslyn Wilson until his untimely death in 2004. The report, now authored by Rosalyn, produces a percentage figure once a year on the cost of logistics as well as an overview of the US logistics industry. The report is traditionally delivered every July in the National press club in Washington.
2) Ken Tse
KEN TSE CHINA LOGISTICS PIONEER AND THE FATHER OF PORT CENTRIC LOGISTICS
Dr. Kenneth Tse, former Director and General Manager of Yantian International Container Terminals Ltd, was inducted into the Institute’s ‘Hall of Fame’ at their 6th Annual China Chapter dinner.This induction is to honour Dr. Tse’s contribution to the development of port logistics in China/Shenzhen and his role in the development of Port-Centric Logistics and End User Marketing.
3) Gustaaf De Monie
GUSTAAF DE MONIE AUTHOR OF THE WORLD PORT REFORM TOOLKIT & CTQS
n the words of leading academic Professor Jean Paul Rodrigue, “Gustaaf De Monie has been in the unique position of being able to observe the developments of containerization from its introduction as an uncertain and unproven technical innovation to becoming the main support of globalization and international trade. More than a keen observer, he was able to influence policy and accurately anticipate development trends well before they became recognized facts. Gustaaf excels at combining deep knowledge and vision”
4) Sr. Alberto Alemán Zubieta
ALBERTO ALEMÁN RESPONSIBLE FOR THE UPGRADING OF THE PANAMA CANAL
Sr. Alberto Alemán Zubieta, former Administrator of the Panama Canal Authority, was inducted into the Institute’s ‘Hall of Fame’ at the Americas Chapter dinner on Wednesday 5th of December 2012. The dinner was held at the El Panama Hotel.This induction is to honor Sr. Alemán’s contribution to the development of the Panama Canal, its expansion project and to the global shipping industry as a whole.
The full gallery (6) can be viewed at:
http://www.globeinst.org/hall-of-fame/
Best Regards
Kieran F. Ring
CEO
Global Institute of Logistics