Behind Santa Claus' Logistics and Supply Chain!
December, 23 2020
Christmas is approaching! Children from all over the world are writing letters to Santa Claus and eagerly waiting for their gifts. Every year, on Christmas morning, children wake up with excitement to check under the Christmas tree, hoping their presents have arrived on time.
Despite the many logistics and shipping companies worldwide, Santa Claus operates alone, under extreme time pressure, delivering an enormous number of gifts in a single night. This means Santa's route management must be highly efficient, ensuring all deliveries are completed within just one night.
According to last year’s statistics from the Goship website:
- Over 25% of the world's population are children, totaling 1.8 billion.
- 31% of children grow up in Christian families, meaning more than 600 million children expect to receive gifts each year.
- If the average weight of each gift is 1 kg, Santa Claus would have to carry 600,000 tons of presents worldwide.
- If Santa were to hire workers to assist with delivery, he would need over 400,000 trucks or 5,000 Boeing 757-200 aircraft!
- Santa has only one night, or exactly 22 hours, to deliver all the gifts, meaning he must distribute 500,000 presents per minute—without any mistakes.
- The complexity of Santa’s supply chain lies in the elves working tirelessly to ensure a magical Christmas for everyone, with no errors in the process.
Santa Claus is well aware of these logistical challenges. In recent years, rumors have circulated that he has started outsourcing delivery services to logistics companies. However, the gift preparation and wrapping remain the responsibility of Santa and his team of elves.
What Human Workers Do in Santa's Logistics Process?
Believe it or not, Santa’s logistics operation is real! Hundreds of thousands of trucks are ready to transport gifts to their destinations. Airports worldwide are prepared for this mission, and massive ocean vessels are set to sail, ensuring gifts reach their ports on time. In the final stage, millions of human workers take part in delivering happiness to children eagerly waiting for their presents.
Santa Claus is an exceptional logistics and supply chain manager. The process begins with gift preparation, which takes more than half a year of planning and execution for a single day of Christmas. Besides Santa and the elves, over 780,000 people in the U.S. alone contribute to making this grand mission a success, ensuring a joyous holiday for all.
Santa utilizes various transportation methods, including air freight for distant destinations. For example, the Louisville, Kentucky airport—often called the "global airport"—handles 1.6 million Christmas packages, loading them into containers for sorting. After scanning and classification, the gifts are dispatched to their final destinations.
Even in Thailand, transportation systems are preparing for the Christmas season. So, are you ready to become Santa Claus and spread happiness to children this Christmas?
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