What are the functions and forms of inventory?

What are the functions and forms of inventory? What are the operational advantages and disadvantages of each one? How does this impact quantity?
What are the most efficient methods and modes of delivery on a 1,000-lb. crate of refrigerated goods traveling from a specialty farm in northern France to Elgin, IL? (We don’t know the good itself, the application of the good, the shelf life, the maximum or minimum temperature required, or the size of the crate.)