Transport and distribution
Page 41
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In your feature "Management Matters" by John Darker the author appears to be suggesting that the professional status of the road transport industry is not high—an argument that, generally speaking although there are many exceptions, cannot be faulted.
However, the author, in his first paragraph, clearly is under some considerable misapprehension over the relationship between road transport and distribution. Either that, or he is clearly unaware of the advances that physical distribution has made in the UK thanks, mainly, to efforts made by I PC Transport Press officials when they were known as Temple Press, in laying the foundation for the Physical Distribution Management Centre which has considerable status in the "industry".
Mr. Darker's first words in his article--"If road transport—or distribution, of which it is a vital function—is to attain professional status the industry will have to discuss in great detail the educational, technical and operating standards it deems necessary," can only confuse your readers. Road transport in itself is not distribution, it is a small facet of it only — albeit .an important facet. Any haulier, misguided enough to conclude that distribution is just another name for haulage, as Mr Darker implies,will soon find himself in trouble.
Distribution, or physical distribution to give it its correct title, covers the whole spectrum of moving a product from the end of the production line to the floor of the consumer's premises, taking in such incidentals as packaging, warehousing and carrying, whether by road, rail, sea or air. It covers documentation, communication handling, inventory, etc. It also covers materials procurement prior to manufacture J. D. STEEL Wimbledon.
[John Darker writes: I am well aware of the valuable efforts of the British Institute of Management's PDM centre to improve distribution efficiency, and of the help given by 1PC Transport Press to launch the Centre. It is, however, early days fora new distribution management centre to make much impact on performance levels.
Distribution will have achieved professional status when every sizeable company has a distribution director, of equal status—at teas t!—to production, marketing, and finance directors. If Mr Steel can provide evidence that 20 per cent of British companies of all sizes--for some large companies may be less progressive than medium-sized firms—take distribution seriously enough to give it Board status, I shall be delighted.
Of course, road transport in itself is not distribution. I said it was a vital function of it. Hauliers who are regular readers of Management Matters would know that/have stressed time and time again that road transport people must learn about distribution theories in order to play their full part in the distribution revolution. It is rare for working hauliers to attend distribution conferences and road transport is so fragmented an industry that it may be years before the small men in the industry learn the jargon of distribution. My aim is to translate the theoretical concepts of distribution into comprehensible ideas for the thousands of road transport operators who have never sought the opportunity to study distribution.