First, says Tom Kozenski, a supply-chain expert at consulting and training firm RedPrairie, most people still think of logistics -- if they think of it at all -- as a "non-sexy" field centered on boring, low-paid warehouse work.
The state-sponsored purchasing managers' index fell from 50.8 in October to 50.3 in November, the lowest reading since March. Any level above 50 indicates expansion.