Abstract: Logistics, as defined by the Council of Logistics Management, “is that part of the supply chain process that plans, implements and controls the efficient, effective flow and storage of goods, services and related information from the point of origin to the point of consumption in order to meet customers’ requirements.” To make this happen, transportation, distribution, warehousing, purchasing and order management organizations must execute together. This is no small task, especially in an environment that is becoming increasingly demanding, with customers expecting their products to be delivered as quickly as possible and according to their exact specifications. Most experts talk about inventory and shipment visibility as the key to successful logistics execution. But, when asked to define visibility, those same experts give a fancy response that in plain English means knowing the status of “in-transit” shipments or inventory. Unfortunately, the reality is that knowing the status of something once it is already in-transit adds no value to the supply chain. What many companies fail to realize and understand is that there are four conditions that are changing the way companies are thinking about visibility and the logistics operation as they struggle to meet the ever increasing customer demands: