Final answer:
Logistical operations are influenced by various factors including infrastructure, intermodal containers, and economies of scale. Good locations and efficient containers can significantly reduce transportation costs. Economies of scale further dictate that larger production volumes can lead to lower average costs.
Step-by-step explanation:
All logistical operations are affected by a range of factors, from truck loading and warehouse picking productivity to transportation vehicle and storage cube utilization. The efficiency of transporting shipping finished goods is greatly affected by the type of infrastructure available, such as congested street networks and jammed freeways, which can increase costs and reduce profits. Optimal locations for factories are often near uncrowded freeways or have access to rail or water transport to enable more cost-effective transport options.
One pivotal innovation impacting logistics was the introduction of the intermodal container in the 1950s, which revolutionized the shipping industry by standardizing cargo containers for use across different modes of transportation, drastically reducing the cost and improving the speed of shipping goods worldwide.
Economies of scale also play a crucial role in logistics, as larger factories and warehouses can often produce goods at a lower average cost than smaller ones, influencing decisions on the optimal scale of production.