Physical Distribution

Physical Distribution or Place P is concerned with movement goods and services

from manufacture to the place of consumption to the right customers at the right
time with right quality and quantity.

Distributio
n

(PD) Physical
Distribution or Channel
Logistic Management
Management

Creating
Alternative Evaluation of
Selection of
Channels, channel members
Channel
Inventory Evaluation appraisal 
Transportation Warehousing members in the
Management Selection of Counselling 
selected
Appropriate Rewarding or
channel
Channel that Repremanding
meets objective

Supply Chain
Management

Operations or Logistics
connected with movement of Outbound Logistics
Inbound Logistics
goods from stores into Movement of “FG” from place
(Purchase, Receipt) stocking
production line on to finished of Manufacture or warehouse
of Raw Material , Components
goods warehouses (infactory, to trademembers or turther
from suppliers into factory
Integrated
field warehouse or C&F on to consumers
Materials Agents) Marketing
Managemen Logistics
t
Distribution cost is second only to the material cost. Raw Material is the largest
cost. DC is the most neglected area of management i.e. this was the most
inefficient and unproductive area of operation. Following are the reasons:

1. Poor Infrastructure in terms of roads and warehouses

2. Lack of organized third party logistic firms (evolved only 10yrs ago)
3. Rural markets are unconnected to the main market by roads
4. Refrigerated transportation and warehousing systems are non-existent
5. Lack of electricity or Insufficient electricity

However in the last decade, most of the Indian manufacturing companies has
substantially increased their bottom line thanks to use of the following:
1. information technology,
2. SCM techniques like SAP, ERP, etc.
3. Use of modern inventory management techniques mostly electronic data
interchange (EDI) and Inventory Management
4. Introduction concepts of Carrying and Forwarding agents (C&F) in place of
national distribution houses (such as Voltas, Godrej, etc.)

This has helped in substantially increase in profits. Due to this most of the Indian
companies are able to keep their balance sheets healthy and clean. Not only with
respect to non-moving and slow moving stock and debtors but also in the debt to
equity ratios. Today most of the companies have repaid most of their high interest
debts resulting in < 1 debt to equity ration. This is a indication of a very healthy
Balance Sheet

Typically in most engineering and product companies material 40% to 60% of the
Total Selling price.

Logistic Management is concerned with physical movement of goods from the place
of manufacture to the place of consumption. Therefore three important activities
are inventory management, warehousing and Transportation.

Physical Distribution – Importance

• Ensures physical flow of product
• Confers place and time utility on products
• Helps build clientele
• Where production locations and markets are distanced, Physical Distribution
becomes crucial
• A promising area of cost reduction. Physical Distribution costs are high and
second only to materials – a neglected are of cost control.
Component Functions of PD/logistics
• Planning the overall PD system
• In-plant warehousing
• Transportation
• Field Warehousing
• Receiving
• Handling
• Secondary Transportation, Secondary Handling and Sub-Distribution
• Inventory Management at each level in chain
• Order Processing / Execution
• Accounting / Record Keeping
• Communication

Designing a physical distribution system 5-steps

• Articulate distribution objectives, specify the minimum desirable service level

in product delivery
• Find out what customers want in product delivery
• Find out what competitors do
• Keep the costs of the system as low as possible, without sacrificing the
guaranteed minimum service level
• Keep the system sufficiently flexible

C
o
s
t
Optimum
Level

Service
Level
Transportation Management Requirement (Transportation)
• Assessment of transportation requirement
• Choosing the mix of transportation modes
• Decide the routing
• Develop Operational Plans
• Implement/Review
• Control Transportation Costs

Role and Importance of Warehousing (Warehousing)

• Like transportation, warehousing too vests the product with time and place
utility
• In some commodities, warehousing vests the product with form utility as well
• A certain level of storage in inescapable in marketing of most products.
Storage needed in large scale for seasonal products
• Sub-distribution realities also necessitate extra storage
• Storage reduces the need for instant transportation which is difficult and
costly
• Storage is a competitive advantage, since better storage leads to better
servicing of channel and consumer
• Storage also helps in balancing demand and supply and in stabilizing prices
• In some products storage by itself acts as a stimulant of demand

Elements of Inventory Costs (Inventory Management)

• Interest on capital tied up in the inventory
• Warehouse rent
• Staff Salaries
• Insurance, Rates and Taxes
• Stationery
• Postage & Communication Charges
• Administrative Overheads
• Costs of Handling, Unloading and Stacking
• Loss of Damages and deterioration on storage
• Cost of order processing/record keeping/accounting
• Optimum inventory is a compromise between cost and service

Third Party Logistics (Outsourcing Logistics)

Indian Logistics Industry is huge, 10% of GDP, 5.8L Crore spent only 12-15% is
organized logistic market. There is huge need for building 3rd Party Logistics
infrastructure.
• Volvo-GM out sources marketing logistics typing up with FedEx. Dealers when
requires spares in an emergency call FedEx on a toll free no and FedEx
 supplies parts by air the same night either at dealers shop or at roadside at
the breakdown site. A central warehouse was set up and some of traditional
regional warehouses are, closed and therefore reduces overall inventory
costs by 15%
• In India AFL, Elbee, Gati, DHL, Overnight Express, Safe Express and Blue Dart
are some of the Air express companies collaborating with manufacturers for
outsourcing

Marketing Channel Management (Functions Performed)

• Facilitate selling by being physically to customers
• Provide distribution efficiency by bridging the manufacturer with the user,
efficiently and economically
• Break the bulk and cater to the tiny requirements of buyer
• Assemble products into assortments to meet buyers needs; match ‘segments
of supply’ with ‘segments of demand’
• Look after a part of physical distribution/marketing logistics/subdistribution
o Reselling
o Retransport
o Handling
o Accounting
StockHolding
o Providing warehouse space
o Storing the stocks
o Bearing risks
o Transforming static stocks intooperational stocks, thereby aiding the
sales process
 HUL

Metrichanne Rural Direct Sales

l Channel Marketing Manager
Government
Lakme Big Bazaar
TElephon Contracts Hotel,
C&FAgents C&F Agent HULNet Beauty
Channel Airlines
Parlor Food Bazaar

Redistributio Super
n Stockist Stockist

Retailer Sub Stockist

Consumers Retailers

SubRetailer

Consumers

These notes are incomplete… Need to take

rest of the notes from Gaurav or
NandhaKumar

Channel Objectives Channel Design

Castrol India – Location convenience
choice of product and strong reach;
Speed delay; Fill orders from outlets in
24hrs.
Reliance textiles(VIMAL) – Create
exclusive image for VIMAL. Cater to
urban markets, as per position. Build
barriers to competition
Archies gift greetings. Proximity to
customers, convert low involvement
purchase into High IP, Make purchase an
enjoyable experience
Vast network of outlets backed by CFA’s
stockists/warehouses/delivery facility,
1800 SKU’s variety , packsizes. Multi-tier
design
Exclusive showrooms 200nos. in all cities
and jumbo showrooms in metros. Outlet
communicates
Outlets close to upper echelons of
society, the TMS. Go for exclusive
shops/shop-in-shops; Trendy interior
design and peppy ambience. Wide range
of appealing merchandise
BBLIL (premerger with HLL) - Strong
choice of brand, place and time utility.
Fresh stocks to consumer always
Philips (Appliance, Pers care) – Cover
Markets intensively and extensively;
After sales service integral part of
channels. Build barrier to competitors
Louis Phillipe Promote as a complete and
premium wardrobe line, with shirts
trousers, ties, socks, belts, blazers, etc.
Cover the TMS (well to do agents)
adequately
Maintain an edge over competition by
competing on quality, service, image
and value
ITC Tobacco division ensure easy
availability of cigarettes
Build brands through advertising
Value Creation
Ability
Quality, Feature,
Application and
Benefit PROFI
T
Embrace all types of shops, super
markets, grocery stores and kirana
shops. A 3-tier channel with CFA
(Carrying and Forwarding Agent), RS
(Redistribtion Stockis) and R (Retailer).
Provide for proper inventory/dely
backup. At each level minimize distance
bet issuing and receiving points
Have a 3-tier channel of CFA’s,
distributors and retailers (2200
Retailers). Authorised Philips Service
Cetners (100 APSC’s) and
CRC’s (Consumer response centers).
60engineers liaise with APSC’s . Motivate
channel with guaranteed 30% ROI to
APSC’s. Make all strong dealers Philips
dealers
Go for exclusive show rooms, ensure full
line at all outlets. Go for multi brand
outlets and for shop-in-shop in super
stores like Akbar Alis whire special areas
are provided as shop in shops.
• Go for CFA’s and wholesalers who
distribute, resell to retailers(8000)
• Go for different types of retailers,
branded, traditional and non
traditional
• Have branded retailers and
franchisee retailers who sell only ITC
cigarettes and not other brands
Efficient Internal
Operations (Order to cash
cycle mgmt)
Cost Reduction (Michael
 Competitive
Advantage
Competitor Centeredness
Low High
Customer Low Self Centered Competitor
Centerednes Company Centered
s Company
High Customer Market
Centered Oriented
Company Company
 Competitive Strategist
The purpose of CS is to build a competitive advantage for the following: CA is
also called as Competitive Edge and Differential Advantage. CA can be a
really called a CA only when it is a SDA (Sustainable Differential Advantage).
CA is an advantage gained over rivals in delivery value to the customers
higher than rivals. Value can be delivered in 2 ways:
a. Offering pdt at a lower price (quality is same)
b. Offering higher quality product that justifies a higher price (preferred
way)
The first method is good only when you reduce the prices (like value pricing
method). Simple price reduction methods may lead to promotion war, ego
war, destruction wars, etc. Second method is preferred very few competitors
will not fight on increasing the quality of the product. That is why we need to
differentiate ourselves and get away from the competition.

From profit triangle above it is very clear, profit will be higher –

• higher the firms value creation ability
• more efficient company internal operations (all 9 – activities of Michael
Porter)
• higher value creation and cost reduction compared to rivals (i.e
absolute value creation, absolute cost reduction has no meaning
unless both are higher than rivals do)
Therefore the firm should be triple centered (company, customers and
competitor centered)

There are two types of competitors: 1. Healthy Competitors 2. Disruptive

Competitors.

Reasons for Competitions Desirability

• Competition helps in sharing in mkt and pdt development cost
• Competition will make every firm to be innovative increase quality and
reduce the cost.
• Competition makes you never suffer you from arrogance, greed and
lethargy.
• Competition will make firms look for small and unattractive segments
• Competitors can unite and negotiate with Govt, trade union etc for
common good of industry
Healthy competitors - how do they play
 • By rules
• Do not disrupt others or topple them. They live and let other live
• They set desirable prices compared to the cost
• Aim at desirable levels of market share
• They want to beat them at innovation

•
Disruptive competition – How do they play

• They do not play by rules

• They set undesirabley low prices
• They want to grow by toppling their competition (by setting suicidal
pricing)

Firms can select from four alternative competitive position

Market Leader Positions
Market Challenger Position
Market Follower Position
Market Nicher Position

Typically the hypothetical competitive industry structure is as below:

• One mkt leader usually dominant player minimum twice the mkt share
of the nearest challenger with a mkt share of 40% of the mkt
• One or two mkt challenger together accounting the share of 30%
• Three or Four mkt follower together accounting the share of 20%
• Four or Five Mkt nicher together accounting the share of 10%

Who is a Mkt Leader and Strategies to remain 1

Mkt leader is a winner firm with dominant share of the mkt with leadership in
all the areas in the market.
Leads in prices
Cost Leader (Lowest Cost in the industry)
Leads in distribution coverage with the largest shelf space
Leads in promotional spent with the largest share of the voice (advertising
expenditure)
Leads in Technology with new pdt launches
Examples: Maruti Udyog (Cars), Hero Honda (Bike), Amul (Butter), Maggie
(Noddels)
Market Challenger
It is a runner-up firm who strives hard aggressively to increase its Market
Share by toppling the apple cart of others (by taking shares from others).

Examples: Maruti Udyog took mkt share from Hindustan Motors when they
entered india
Canon – Xerox.

Market Follower
They are runner-up firms who believes in defending its mkt share and does
not want to increate it at the expense of others.
Examples: Cars in Hatch back segment

Market Nichers
A Niche is a small segment in a broad market. A Mkt Nicher is a small player
in a large mkt who selects and enters into a small niche which is ignored by
other players in the market

Example: Rolex in watchers, Harley Davidson in Bikes

Market Leader Strategies

• Everybody is wanting to attack the leader. Leaders are always
vunerable
• Expand the total market – It is leaders responsibility to expand the
total mkt and does it in three ways:
o Find new users – Non users are virgin mkt or explored of
exploited. Colgate trying to covert Datton to Toothpaste users.
People who are aware but can’t afford the firm will develop low
price fighter brand and also offer new pack sizes that are
affordable.
o Find new uses – Nestles milk maid is an excellent example
extended into dairy whitener, further extended into dahi maker,
and now into mithai maker. Nylon was first introduced as a fiber
for parachute making for defence and not its used for nylon tires,
fishing net, etc…
o Increase the usage rate by the current users
• Defend the current mkt share thru offensive and defensive strategies
• Increase the mkt share even if the mkts are stagnant by taking shares
from the rival

Competitive