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Transportation And The Supply Chain

Decent Essays

The way products are moved today has changed dramatically compared to the slow manual process in the past. Initially products were mainly moved on ships. Once rail became available products were able to be moved more quickly on land. Then came trucking and air planes that could be used to move cargo even quicker. These changes occurred slowly over time and each of them still have play an important part in transportation and the supply chain. (http://amhistory.si.edu/onthemove/, n.d.)
How products are moved today can vary based on the type of product. For instance, grains may be moved by rail for most of their destination while sod may be moved by truck. However many products are moved through intermodal shipping; using multiple transportation methods.
For example, a shipment of computer chips could start out by being loaded in a shipping container on a boat in China, which is then shipped to a port in the United States. Once it arrives, it could then be loaded on a train that delivers the chips to a rail yard, where it is picked up by a truck and taken to a warehouse / production facility. Once the chips are received, they then go into production and are assembled into a computer. Once assembly is complete, it is loaded on another truck that is then shipped to a consumer or retail store. In this instance, one product ends up being moved via three different methods, some being used more than once. Companies have to determine which method or methods best meet their needs.

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