1.

Introduction

The BAM Holdings Limited launched their first apparel factory - Colombo Garments Ltd. in
1980. This facility was expanded in 1982, with the incorporation of Miami Exports (Pvt) Ltd.
Since this time, the company has earned an excellent reputation for reliability. This is reflected in
the quality of the products & in the timeliness of the deliveries to our clients overseas. In addition
to Garments, the BAM Holdings Limited has acquired other business skills with methodical &
modern approaches to Management & Training. The company is still under the guidance of its
founding father of the Group Chairman Mr. B.A. Mahipala. Under the Bam Holdings company
has different kinds of groups. Such as apparel manufacturing, packaging, apparel services etc..
Apparel manufactures (Miami Exports) in this company some of the worlds most sought after
seasonal collections, specializing in childrens wear. Incorporated in 1980, Miami Exports (Pvt)
Ltd operates four plants in relatively close vicinity to each other, developing & manufacturing
products for leading brands including NEXT, M&S, Zara & IZOD.

In this report base on the key logistic functions in the above organizations & their importance.
2. Key Logistic Functions
According to the Council of Logistic Management; logistics is that part of supply chain process
that plans, implements & control efficient, effective flow & storage of goods, services & related
information from the point of origin to the point of consumption in order to meet customers
expectations. Logistics involves managing changes in the following, from the supplier to the user
or consumer, based on forecast or specific demand:
Physical flows of materials and goods, Information flows,
Related administrative flows.
With a view to achieving the efficiency and quality of service expected. (figure1)
In this respect, it affects all sectors (industrial & commercial activities & services) & includes
the procurement, warehousing, handling, distribution, packaging and transport functions.

Figure 1: Logistic Cycle (sources: Slide share)



I. Transportation Management System
Transportation is responsible for the physical movement of materials between positions in the
supply chain. (figure2) In other words transportation involves many different parties within &
outside a company who are required to routinely share information & ideas. Specially involves
some foreign countries also. Bam Exports use fully functional transportation management should
provide the basic components of a shared information system to support:
Content such as rates, routes, roles, & contracts at inter-enterprise generic levels
Commerce to support & create transaction sets, documents, & information exchanged to
facilitate the booking, execution.

Figure 2: Movement of materials in Supply chain (source: Google Image)


II. Warehouse Management System
This category includes warehouse Management & material handling. Its characterized by
activities such as unloading, receiving, inspecting, storing, safekeeping, relocating, picking,
packaging, consolidating, loading & trans-loading. The below flow chart shows the structure
of the warehouse management system in above company.

Figure 2: Structure of Warehouse management (source by Author)




Bam Exports warehouse management system (WMS) provides database & user-level tools in
order for a company to optimize its storage facilities while at the same time providing user level
task direction & activity support. The combination of system-directed operations, supported by
real-time, paperless, & interactive information systems will provide warehouse management &
personnel with the tools to direct, control, measure & report on distribution operations.

III. Inventory Management System
Inventory management is the key to any successful distribution business. Inventory means the
stock of any item or resource used in an organization. In the inventory management, after an item
has been procured & received by the system or program, it must be transported to the service
delivery level where the client will receive the products. During this process, the products must be
stored until they are sent to the next lower level, or until the customer needs them.
Effective inventory management gives opportunity to a distributor to meet or exceed his
customers expectations of the product availability with the amount of each item, that will
increase the distributors net profits. The important factors of inventory management are;
Inventory control at planning stage
Lead time
Cost vs. importance of raw materials.

IV. Procurement
Procurement is a critical part of the logistics function in the supply chain. Procurement is
concerned with purchasing & arranging inbound movement of materials, parts or finished
inventory from suppliers to manufacturing or assembly plants, warehouse or retail stores. It is also
known as purchasing & buying & in some cases inbound logistics. Procurement planning &
process are important activities that ensure the correct products are available in-country & are
ready for distribution when they are needed.










3. Descriptions of Different Technologies

I. ERP System
ERP is a software construction that facilitates the flow of information among the different
functions within the business. Similarly, ERP facilitates information sharing across organizational
units & geographical locations. It enables decision-makers to have an enterprise-wide view of the
information they need in a timely, reliable & consistent fashion. ERP provides the backbone of an
enterprise-wide information system.

At the core of this enterprise software is a central database which draws data from & feeds data
into modular applications that operate on a common computing platform, thus standardizing
business processes and data definitions into a unified environment. With an ERP system, data
needs to be entered only once. The system provides consistency & visibility or transparency
across the entire enterprise. A primary benefit of ERP is easier access to reliable, integrated
information. A related benefit is the elimination of redundant data & the rationalization of
processes, which result in substantial cost savings. Below shows the expel for ERP system
software. (figure3)


Figure3 Example for ERP System (Source by Google Image)










II. RFID
Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is a set of technologies that allow for short range, contact-
less reading of information from a low cost, compact, data source. An RFID system will include
data-carrying transponders, known as tags and devices to access the data on the tags; a reader
or reader/writer. Tags are attached to the assets being monitored or carried by individuals. A
reader is used to collect data from the tags or to detect the tag passing a particular location, for
example. The information collected in this way can be used to query or update a database in a
system designed to track the location of the asset, to authorize the use of some resource or to
automatically cause some piece of equipment to be available for use. Below (figure 4) show how
is an RFID system work out.



Figure 4 RFID System ( source by Google Image)















III. GPS
Global Positioning System (GPS) is a satellite based navigation system. It consists of 24 rotating
satellites, each of that which makes two circuits around the Earth every 24 hours. These satellites
transmit three bits of information there are the satellite's number, its position in space, & the time
the information is sent. These signals are picked up by the GPS receiver, who uses this
information to calculate the distance between it & the GPS satellites.







IV. Automation technology
Automation technology is the use of various control systems for operating equipment such as
machinery, processes in factories, switching in telephone networks, & other applications with
reduced human interference. Some processes have been completely automated. The automation
has three different types. Feedback control, computer control, sequential control. The benefit of
automation is save labor, save energy and materials & to improve quality, accuracy & precision