The release of the seventh and final book in the Harry Potter series may well have been the most anticipated affair in recent publishing history. It was certainly the biggest. For Potterheads everywhere, it couldn't have come soon enough. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay The idea of ​​Harry Potter and logistics together is something most people never think about. In the United States alone, approximately 12 million copies were printed. By delivering these books on time to its customers in the United States and 29 other countries, under heavy security cover, American publisher Scholastic Inc. realized that with millions of fans pre-ordering books and expecting whether they arrive on Saturday morning or are ready at their booksellers before dawn, not having the books available as promised was not an option. UPS, DHL, FedEx, and the US Postal Service all made package deliveries of books that, by contract, could not appear in stores before midnight on July 21. In previous years, due to the contractual guarantee of on-time delivery, transportation and warehouse sellers had to strengthen product security and tracking. This was done, so the books were released with the least risk and exposure points. Even people in war zones received their copies. Paxton International, a logistics company based in Afghanistan, sent one of its executives to Dubai to purchase the book at the precise time of its release in London and then take the next flight to deliver the books. Amazon's U.S. distribution centers handled about 18 tons of "Harry Potter." and the Deathly Hallows” per hour and shipped to more than 43,000 zip codes across the country. Within 24 hours, physical and online booksellers had collectively sold 8.3 million copies of the latest installment of author JK Rowling's hugely popular series. Planning for the rollout began months before Scholastic even finished the manuscript. Each carrier used was one that had previously worked with the Harry Potter franchise and therefore knew the challenges that lay ahead. In the months leading up to the rollout, they met frequently with Scholastic officials and developed detailed distribution plans. They were bound by strict confidentiality agreements until the end of the project. The plans were based on various factors, such as journey length and, for international shipments, customs clearance. Carriers also had to balance the need to deliver books early enough so that Scholastic customers could stock their own retail locations. They also had to address issues related to safety and costs. Various meetings with not only the carrier's management team but also all essential people, including drivers and security team, were convened in order to understand and resolve the day-to-day issues they face. Scholastic began the process of calculating load plans when they were informed of the actual size and weight of the book. So they could see how many books a truck could hold and then reserve the capacity. However, Scholastic's logistics partners have assumed responsibility for loading details. All the trucks were exactly the same weight. Uniform loads were palletized, with each pallet shrink-wrapped with a corrugated top and strapped. This had a dual purpose. Besides the obvious, it was also very easy to know if.