What is a Logistics Manager? Without accounting for products transported by rail, road, or air, shipping companies move around 11 billion tons of cargo throughout the world each year. For every person on the earth, that works out to 1.5 tons of products solely from marine transportation. Everything you use must be carried, including the meals you consume and the medications you take. It is a remarkably intricate circulation of products.
Consider working as a logistics manager if you’re interested in organizing the movement of goods and want to work in an industry that is expanding. What precisely does a logistics manager perform in their line of work? The solutions are in this career guide, which will also assist you in starting to plan your professional path.
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Examining a Career as a Logistics Manager
It’s helpful to clarify what constitutes a supply chain before getting into the responsibilities of a logistics manager (also known as a “logistician”). The intricate movement of commodities around the globe is referred to as the “global supply chain” and is made up of a massive network of separate supply chains. In actuality, each company’s supply chain is unique to the products it sells.
Consider a company that sells scooters as an example. Therefore, let’s assume that each scooter contains four parts, each of which is sourced from a different vendor. The supply chain for those scooters is made up of those four vendors.
However, supply chains can become more intricate than this. To get the raw materials needed to create the four components in this example, the four suppliers may have to rely on other suppliers. The supply chain for the scooter includes each of the raw material suppliers.
A supply chain, in its simplest form, is made up of all the steps taken to bring the finished product to the consumer. This process entails obtaining the raw materials, producing the goods, delivering them to a warehouse (distribution center), and then delivering them from the warehouse to a storefront or straight to the client. Each link in the supply chain, from the store to the warehouse and the carriers to the manufacturers, is crucial.
What is a Logistics Manager?
A logistics manager makes ensuring that goods, stock, parts, or people are transported from one location to another effectively and economically. A crucial component of the supply chain is logistics and supply chain management, which works to organize, manage, and carry out the movement of goods, resources, information, and services. These crucial personnel must oversee the transfer in a timely and secure manner while ensuring that established timelines are met.
Every transition will be completed successfully by a successful logistics manager if there are no delays, product losses, or other mishaps that hinder customers from obtaining their orders. This position typically reports to the CEO of a business or warehouse operation and frequently requires regular travel to distribution centers, warehouses, and manufacturing facilities.
What Does a Logistics Manager Do?
This intricate network is managed by a logistics manager. These individuals work together with merchants, transportation providers, manufacturers, and suppliers. They monitor inventories, analyze demand trends, and control imports and exports.
A logistics manager’s position include supervision. The supply chain’s proper operation is ultimately their responsibility. These specialists could use any of the following methods to do this:
- Choose which vendors to purchase from while considering price and quality
- Keep in touch with suppliers and other stakeholders to conduct business
- Obtain affordable shipping prices from transportation providers.
- Plan outgoing and incoming shipments, and make any adjustments to the timetables.
- Control the import and export of goods
- Control the logistics team.
- Track inventory
Logistics managers need to be quick on their feet to address problems as they come up. Extreme weather, supplier shortages, or unexpected rate increases by transportation carriers are just a few examples of factors that might cause delays in incoming and outgoing shipments.
A logistics manager may also need to deal with other concerns since supply chain management can be fairly complicated. For instance, if your business aims to be as environmentally friendly as possible, you should purchase goods from outside vendors that are close to distribution facilities in order to cut down on transportation requirements. To ensure that the new supplier company treats its employees fairly, the logistics manager must extensively investigate each link in the supply chain if it follows the principles of conscious capitalism.
How to Become a Logistics Manager
If a job in logistics management interests you, you might want to consider discussing your career goals with your guidance counselor. More classes that will help you get ready for the future may be something you can add. You will benefit from taking any classes in business and management, accounting, economics, communications, or computer applications.
Managers of logistics don’t require advanced education like a graduate degree. If you appreciate managing the production of goods and services, a bachelor’s degree program in supply chain and logistics management is the best choice.
Consider obtaining a professional certification to expand your experience as a supply chain management. Your career qualifications can be improved by obtaining a professional certification.
Among the crucial aptitudes and characteristics of logistics managers are:
- Marketing
- Creative thinking
- Customer service
- Time management
- Organization skills
- Knowledge of consumer goods and operations
- Management
Get a Degree in Supply Chains
To start the process of becoming a supply chain management, you must complete an undergraduate degree in the field. Many aspirants to the position of logistics manager decide to pursue a degree in business and management. However, the best degree is one that specializes in supply chain management.
Typically, a supply chain degree will include the following logistical fundamentals:
- Financial accounting and business statistics
- Microeconomics and macroeconomics
- Global supply chain management theories and practices, including operational management tools and techniques
- Techniques for streamlining processes, such as Statistical Process Control (SPC),
Purchasing, inventory management, and upstream and downstream activities including contracting and negotiating are highlighted in supply chain logistics.
Get Start-Up Experience
Prior experience may or may not be required, depending on the criteria of the company. By expanding your professional network and looking for entry-level opportunities, you may increase the number of people who see your CV and stand out from the competition.
The occupations listed below are specific positions that could give you more experience if logistics management is something you’re interested in.
- Transportation, storage and distribution manager
- Logisticians
- Business teachers
- Industrial production manager
Expected Salary for Logistics Manager
An average salary for a logistics manager is $62,074. The amount of experience, level of education, and location of the employment all may affect pay.
Education and Training Requirements for Logistics Managers
A bachelor’s degree in business, logistics, operations engineering, supply chain management, or a related field is typically required for work as a logistics manager. Those having a two-year associate’s degree and prior job experience in logistics may be taken into consideration by some organizations. Industry certificates, though typically not necessary, are seen favorably because they attest to the applicant’s expertise of the complete supply chain process.
Experience Requirements for Logistics Manager
Most organizations demand 2 to 5 years of logistics-related experience. A benefit is having experience working in more than one logistics sector, such as warehousing or transportation. An internship in logistics might expose students to more logistics-related topics.
Industry certifications from logistics-focused organizations like the American Production and Inventory Control Society (APICS) and the International Society of Logistics (SOLE) might help an applicant stand out from the competition. When hiring for this role, certifications from organizations in other fields—like engineering or technology—that incorporate the skills and knowledge required in logistics may also be taken into account as experience.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a logistics manager do?
A logistics manager makes ensuring that goods, stock, parts, or people are transported from one location to another effectively and economically. A crucial component of the supply chain is logistics and supply chain management, which works to organize, manage, and carry out the movement of goods, resources, information, and services.
What are the three fundamental roles of logistics?
Transportation, warehousing, and inventory management are a few of these duties. Businesses can optimize their operations to boost their bottom line by knowing the key logistical activities.
What distinguishes logistical and shipping processes?
One of many logistics procedures, shipping is the actual physical transfer of your goods from one location to another (for example, from a warehouse to your clients). The coordinated procedures that control where your products are purchased, stored, and delivered to their final locations are referred to as logistics.
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