Approach to definition synchronization in logistics systems
Synchronization is one of the most commonly used terms in logistics and has a positive semantic characterization. Naturally, 'synchronization' is understood as an activity that aims to improve supply chain performance through external coordination of logistics flows in time. However, such understanding of synchronization is not perfect. Synchronization phenomenon studied in natural science disciplines, shows that synchronization has various aspects and additional effects associated with the self-organization of various processes. Now, there is no single definition of synchronization concept in logistics, there are no generally accepted methods of measurement and quantitative evaluation of logistics synchronization. We have analyzed some existing approaches to understanding synchronization in various scientific disciplines, which allowed us to formulate a holistic interpretation of the term "synchronization" in relation to logistics. We also have described some features of synchronization within different logistic concepts. As a result, we have formed a system of views on synchronization as a phenomenon that occurs in in-teroperable logistics systems through information ex-change between elements, which ensures their adapta-tion to each other. We propose an algorithm for describ-ing logistic synchronization, which is the basis for devel-oping quantitative methods of measuring synchroniza-tion.